Save Me from This Place
by Lark R. Starling
Summary: Jenie, a shy girl, moves to a new school, meeting everyone's favorite delinquent detective. When she befriends him and meets his teammates, what will they think of her? Hiei x OC
1. Chapter 1

So, this story is one I wrote for JessicaMarieLynnRussell, according to her wishes. The characters of Jenie, and techinically Tong and Lian, belong to her.

DISCLAIMER: All the other characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

My foster father, Tong Mei (yes, he and his wife, my foster mother, Lian were Chinese, even though we lived in Japan) threw a half-empty bottle of alcohol at me as I walked out the door. It missed and smashed against the doorframe instead. "Go!" He slurred drunkenly. "Get your useless carcass out of here!"

Ignoring him, I trotted out the door, brushing the drops of alcohol off me. Great. Now I was going to smell like a drunk rebel on my first day of school. Lovely…

I kept my eyes down the whole walk to Sarayashiki High. I saw the shoes of people as they passed me, but I didn't dare look up. I was too shy to do so. Besides, no doubt they were staring at my dark blonde hair. Not many people in Japan had hair colors like mine.

Making sure I was still walking the right way, I cautiously flicked my eyes up. Instantly, one guy caught my attention. He was short, only an inch or so taller than me, and I could almost be considered a legal midget. He was dressed strangely, in a long black cloak with a white collar, even though the weather outside was sunny and hot. His facial features were sharp and angular, yet quite attractive. His hair was quite peculiar, too (and remember, the blonde American girl who lives in Japan was saying his hair was odd). It was pitch black and spiky, except for a little white spot in front shaped like a starburst. He was leaning against a brick wall, like he'd rather be anywhere but where he was. His eyes were closed, but almost as if he felt me staring at him, he glanced up at me. In embarrassed shock, I snapped my eyes back to the ground. His eyes…His eyes were the color of blood.

I couldn't get that strange guy out of my mind all the rest of the way to school. When I actually got to school, however, one thought wiped that guy completely from my mind.

How am I supposed to find my way around?! From the outside, Sarayashiki looked huge!

"You look lost."

I turned in surprise to see a cute brown haired girl staring at me. She certainly seemed pleasant. Shyly, I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, and lowered my eyes.

"Ummm…Yes. I'm new here. Jennifer Leigh. Jenie for short." I introduced myself as quickly as possible. The girl smiled.

"I'm Keiko Yukimura. It's nice to meet you. Here, I can help you find your way around." Keiko took my schedule from me, and looked it over. "Your first class isn't too far. I'll take you."

I walked behind Keiko as she led me to a classroom. I didn't like the looks of it, but then, I didn't like school in general.

Ugh. Classes were awful! It was pure torture to sit through them. After school, I walked as slowly as possible, trying to delay getting back home where my father would be just waiting to abuse me. I passed a cork board full of papers, and one caught my attentions. It read: "Starting an after-school choir club. In need of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. Please contact Mizuki Akane if interested."

Oh, I was interested. How I loved to sing…But how could I possibly sing in a choir? Although it's not like anyone would hear just me, still…

Chills suddenly began to run down my spine. It felt like someone was watching me. I turned, and indeed, this guy was staring at me. He was quite tall, at least compared to me. His black hair was slicked back, and his brown eyes were studying me like I was something to eat. He wasn't exactly wearing the required Sarayashiki High uniform. The uniform he was wearing was the same style, but a pretty green instead of blue. I averted my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. I got the same kind of feeling off this guy as I did off the one with red eyes I had seen this morning. Like I was a housecat at the mercy of lions. I wanted to get away…

"Yusuke!" A familiar voice cried. I snapped my eyes over to the speaker, surprised to see Keiko Yukimura hurrying up to the guy. She glanced over and saw me.

"Jenie!" She said in surprise. "How was your first day?"

I made sure to keep my eyes lowered as I walked over to Keiko. "It was…okay," I replied, barely raising my voice above a whisper. I saw Keiko smile out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh!" Keiko said. "This is Yusuke Urameshi, by the way. Our resident delinquent."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Urameshi commented. He looked down at me, and I briefly flicked my eyes up to meet his. Wow, he was frightening. Even more so than boys normally were. What was he hiding…?

"So you're new here?" He asked me. I didn't trust myself to speak, so I nodded. My heart was beating so fast that it hurt. I felt like I needed to get out of here…

Urameshi suddenly stepped closer to me, and I froze in terror. "Is something wrong?" He asked curiously. I said nothing, and kept my eyes glued to the ground.

"Maybe she's just shy," Keiko said. She elbowed Urameshi playfully. "Or maybe she's heard all the rumors flying around about you."

"There's not that many!" Urameshi protested. He turned his full attention on Keiko, and I took the opportunity to slip away. I walked quickly, looking back to see if they had even noticed me leaving. They were too busy squabbling with each other that they hadn't. I scurried out of the school, walking back in the direction of home (if it can be called that). It had been quite a day.

**************

I tried to sneak to my room as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, Tong spotted me before I had gone two steps.

"Jenie! Get over here!" He shouted, slurring his words into one another.

I grumbled, but nevertheless, obeyed him. "What?" I snapped. He held out an empty bottle of vodka to me.

"Go get me 'nother." He hissed. I glared at him, but still took the bottle from him and tossed it in the garbage. I grabbed another bottle of the same alcohol from the special fridge that housed only his drinks, and walked back to the chair my father was in. I held it out to him, and tried to walk back to my room.

"You wait." He ordered me. I tried to stay out of his reach. Which didn't work, because he ended up getting to his feet and sticking his ugly mug in my face.

"What?" I asked again, trying to keep the scorn out of my tone.

"You seem happy. It's annoying." He replied. I rolled my eyes in disgust.

What was he, a child? Seriously, nobody but immature kids had any right to say stuff like that. But, I kept my mouth shut. Not that that did me any good.

WHACK! I received a smack across the face with the full bottle of vodka. I fell to my knees, spitting out blood and praying that no teeth would come out as well.

"Oh, did you offend him again?" My foster mother, Lian, chuckled from the kitchen. "For shame. You should know better by now. Oh well. Looks like it will be another dinnerless night for you, huh?"

I spat out the last of the blood, hoping I could get the taste out of my mouth soon. I hated the metallic taste. Besides, it wasn't good for the vocal chords.

I danced away from my father as he reached out to hit me again. Before either one of my foster parents could inflict more damage, I bolted to my room and slammed the door. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.


	2. Chapter 2

I examined myself in the mirror the next morning. Lovely. A big, purple bruise was covering my entire cheek. I groaned, wondering what the kids at school would think of me. First day of school, I come smelling like alcohol. Second day, I look like I got in a fight with a sledgehammer and lost miraculously. I had enough trouble making friends as it was. No amount of makeup would be able to cover _this_ up.

I scurried as fast out of the house as possible, avoiding my foster parents. I didn't need anything else to make everyone at school think I was some sort of freak.

I watched for the spot where I'd seen that strange guy with the blood-colored eyes, but of course, he wasn't there today. Shame, that. It was strange…I'd only seen him for a few seconds, and yet…I couldn't get him out of my mind.

I was on the lookout for Keiko when I walked through the halls, keeping my head down. I was trying to ignore people when they stared at my bruise. I didn't see Keiko anywhere. Shame. She was the closest I'd had to an actual friend for as long as I could remember. I felt slightly saddened by this.

I trudged into the classroom, with low hopes for the day. I was surprised to see that Keiko was in the classroom already, along with Urameshi and some burly guy with orange hair. Keiko glanced up and saw me, and her eyes widened in shock. She shot up from her seat and ran to me. I backed up.

"Jenie!" She cried. "What happened to you?"

I turned away slightly so that my massive bruise wouldn't be so exposed. "Got in a fight," I replied quietly, mentally begging her to not ask any more questions. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Urameshi and the carrot top get up to follow Keiko.

"Alright!" Urameshi exclaimed when he reached us. "Looks like we got ourselves a tough yankee!"

Keiko glared at Urameshi. "I don't think it's like that…" She said slowly. I gulped nervously. She was perceptive…

"I'm Kazuma Kuwabara," the big guy introduced himself. The way he was grinning at me made me blush in embarrassment. I bowed hastily.

The attention had successfully been distracted from my bruise, but Keiko wasn't going to let that go on for long.

"How did you get this?" She asked again, pointing at my bruise. I sighed, not answering. She kept pressing on. "Do your parents know about this?"

I gritted my teeth together angrily. "They know. My father gave it to me."

Shocked silence followed my words. Urameshi reached out to touch my cheek lightly, and I flinched. "Your parents abuse you?" He whispered.

"Foster parents." I snapped. "And yes." I paused, looking down. I normally didn't talk to near-total strangers this much. "I don't like being home."

Urameshi, Keiko, and Kuwabara shared a glance with each other. "If it really bothers you that much," Urameshi said, "you can come visit me anytime you want."

"That's awfully generous of you, Yusuke." Keiko said in approval. Urameshi shrugged.

I stared down at the floor. "May…May I come over tonight?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, sure." Urameshi replied. I glanced up at him, surprised. I really hadn't expected him to agree, to tell the truth.

**************

I was nervous and excited at the same time after school. I had already changed out of my uniform into my preferred clothes, but my thoughts were elsewhere. I wondered if Urameshi remembered his promise. I waited outside the classroom, and he, Kuwabara, and Keiko walked right past me. I sighed in disappointment. But then, Urameshi turned back to look at me.

"Aren't you coming, Jenie?" He called to me. I couldn't stop a smile from creeping over my face as I ran after them.

**************

Now, I'm not a really talkative person. At least not to people I didn't know really well. But, these three wouldn't let me stay silent. They'd be chatting about something or other, and I'd be listening, when Urameshi or Kuwabara would suddenly turn to me and ask me my opinion. This was pretty much the first time something like this had happened, so I was a bit too surprised to answer at first. But soon, I found myself uncharacteristically laughing along with the three of them. It was probably the most fun I'd had with other people in ages.

We finally reached his condo. I was surprised, because from what Urameshi had said, neither he nor his mother worked…So how could they afford such a nice place? Maybe Keiko hadn't been joking when she'd mentioned rumors about him…I could easily imagine what type of rumors were going around about Urameshi. People tended to avoid him. I decided that their financial issues were none of my business.

"Just have a seat, anywhere." Urameshi told us when we were inside. He himself went over to the TV and began to mess with the DVD player. Keiko groaned.

"Oh no." She whined. "What are we going to watch now?" She didn't sound too enthused with the idea of watching something that Urameshi had picked out.

"Don't worry," Urameshi replied in exasperation, "it doesn't have much violence, and no sex or drugs."

"_This time_," Keiko hissed under her breath. I definitely did not want to know…

Actually, the movie wasn't that bad. It turned out to be some kind of action movie, which made me question Urameshi's 'it doesn't have much violence' statement. Maybe for him, this actually wasn't much violence…

"Crap!" Urameshi yelled suddenly. I jumped in surprise.

"What now?" Keiko asked in exasperation.

"I think I dropped my school bag in the lobby…" He replied. He didn't seem too terribly worried, considering his bag probably had a lot of important textbooks.

Wanting to be a good guest, I leapt to my feet. "I'll get it." I stated.

Urameshi, Kuwabara, and Keiko all stared at me. "Are you sure…?" Urameshi said slowly. I nodded cheerfully and trotted to the door. I pulled it open and looked back to the three of them.

"I'll be back in just a-" Was all I had time to say before I took another step and ran straight into something quite solid.

I stumbled backwards, starting to fall to the ground. Someone's hand seized onto my wrist, preventing me from falling to the ground. I regained my balance, looking around in confusion. My eyes settled on my savior, and I gasped in surprise. It was the guy with the blood-red eyes!

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly. I opened my mouth, but found that my ability to speak was totally shot.

"Uh…" Urameshi said, springing to his feet and standing behind me. "This is Jenie. She's a friend from school. What brings you here, Hiei?"

Hiei? Was that his name? He frowned. His eyes traveled from my dirty blonde hair, down to my brownish-green eyes, to my red v-neck shirt, past my black jeans, down to my also black boots. I couldn't tell from him expression whether he approved or not.

"She's useless." He commentated. In anger, I opened my mouth to protest, but Hiei's attention wasn't focused on me anymore. He was staring at Urameshi. "New case." Was all he said. Urameshi groaned.

"Not again…Can't the world go a week without being in _some_ kind of crisis?"

I didn't understand at all. What were they talking about? What connection did Hiei have to Urameshi and the others?

"Maybe…I should go?" I said timidly. Urameshi sighed.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Sighing in disappointment, I gathered my stuff and walked out the door.

* * *

In case you were wondering, a yankee in this context means someone involved in a Japanese gang. Something like that. No offense to Americans or the baseball team.


	3. Chapter 3

I wasn't eager to go home. I didn't want to add anymore bruises to the one on my cheek. Tong might be upset with me for coming home so late. I'd just have to make sure to stay out of physical abuse range.

Whew! I was in luck. I had no idea where Lian was, but Tong was in a deep drunken stupor in his chair. I doubted whether he would wake up feeling like kicking me around anytime tonight. Sighing in relief, I escaped to my room.

I tried to keep my mind on my homework that night, but my thoughts kept drifting to Hiei and the others…

Finally, with a groan of exasperation, I slammed my textbook shut. There was no way I was going to keep my attention on the work. Maybe a walk would help clear my mind?

Peeking out of my door to make sure Lian hadn't returned yet, I slipped on my black jacket. The sun had set long ago, and catching a case of the sniffles wasn't on my agenda.

I walked through a small park nearby. Not the safest place to be in large cities after night fall, but I wasn't worried. Honestly, I didn't think death would be as bad as they always say. Of course, I didn't know from personal experience…

I wasn't watching where I was walking. The foot of my boot caught on something, and I fell to the ground. Curious, I looked around to see what I had tripped over. As soon as I saw the dead body, I opened my mouth to scream.

A hand clasped over my mouth tightly. My heart began to beat rapidly in my chest, out of pure terror. Uh-oh…

"Don't scream." Said a very familiar voice.

I ripped myself away from the hand, scrambling back.

"Hiei!" I shrieked, shock and fear causing the pitch of my voice to rise. "What the…?!"

"It's not what you think." He replied calmly. I scooted back, farther away from him.

I looked back at the body. "The heck it isn't-" I stopped dead when I took a closer look at the corpse. It was _clearly_ not human.

"I told you so." Hiei snapped. He roughly grabbed my wrist, pulling me to my feet and yanking me away from the body.

"Hey, wait!" I called to him. "Where…?"

He ignored my questions completely. "Yusuke!" He yelled.

Moments later, Urameshi came into sight. I felt slightly relieved to see him, but the memory that I had been quite scared of him when I first met him was brought back to the front of my mind. Who were these people?

"Jenie!" Urameshi said in surprise when he saw me. "What are you doing here?"

I opened and closed my mouth for a minute, too overwhelmed to say anything. "I-I-I'm out for a walk." I finally managed to stammer. Hiei let go of my wrist.

"She saw," He said shortly. Urameshi sighed.

"Yusuke?" A silky voice I didn't recognize said. "What's going on?"

I turned to see a tall, good-looking redhead, followed by Kuwabara. The redhead's emerald eyes almost seemed luminescent in the dim light. He had been the one to speak.

"Friend from school." Urameshi replied. "She apparently saw everything."

"Not everything." Hiei commentated. "She only saw the body after I killed one of them."

"Wait!" I yelled suddenly. "What is going on? Who are you people? _What's happening_?!"

"Calm down!" Urameshi said hastily. "We'll explain everything. Just…Just take it easy…"

Urameshi and the others led me to a park bench, telling me 'that it might be a good idea to sit down.'

"See…" Urameshi said, scratching his head. "I'm not exactly a 'normal' student…"

And so there it began. Urameshi explained to me how he had died a few years ago, and had become a detective for the Spirit World. He and the other three were responsible for eradicating _demons_ that came to destroy humanity.

I was silent after they stopped explaining this to me. Surely they didn't expect me to believe what I had just heard! But…After seeing that body, how could I deny it? I stood up shakily.

"Are you telling me that…you…?" Wait. Suddenly I felt _extremely_ light headed. I stumbled forward, collapsing.

Before I lost complete consciousness, I expected to feel the hard ground beneath me. But prior to hitting it, strong arms grabbed me around my shoulders and my waist, saving me. I passed out before I had the chance to see who had saved me…

**************

"You're awake."

A voice told me so before _I_ was even aware of it. I sat up, unsure of whether I dreamt meeting Hiei and everything after that. But that voice happened to belong to the one person I hadn't met before last night…

I set eyes on the handsome redhead. He was smiling kindly at me, and I couldn't resist the urge to smile back.

"What happened?" I asked. "Where am I?"

"My house," he replied. "It was the closest. You seemed to have gone into shock after learning our story, and you fainted."

I blinked in confusion, trying to remember. "Oh!" I said suddenly, "Someone caught me. Was that you?"

The redhead chuckled. "No. That was Hiei."

Hiei? But, from the way he acted, I was sure Hiei hated me. What reason would he have to save me?

Sunlight was shining in from the window. I gasped in shock.

"School! I'm going to be late!"

The redhead burst out in laughter. "It's Saturday. You don't have school today."

"Oh…" Oh yeah. I had totally forgotten that. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to organize my thoughts.

There was a soft knock at the door. The redhead and I both looked up. A pretty girl with bluish colored hair, and eyes as red as Hiei's peeked her head in the door.

"May I come in?" She asked, her voice as sweet as her appearance. The redhead nodded. The girl pushed the door open, and approached me. I was a bit surprised by the lovely blue kimono she was wearing. But this girl seemed instantly likable. I gave her a small, unsure smile, and she returned it cheerfully.

"My name is Yukina," she introduced herself. The redhead smiled at me.

"Yukina's a healer. We called her here in case something might be wrong with you, but you're quite healthy."

I really wanted to learn this guy's name, but I felt too shy to ask. Maybe I'd ask Keiko or Urameshi later. I turned my attention to Yukina.

"Thank you." I said politely. She smiled, laughing a sweet, bell-like laugh.

"It's no problem. I am glad you're alright."

"Speaking of which," The redhead announced, getting up from the chair he'd been sitting in, "the others will want to know she's awake. I'll tell them. You two can get better acquainted."

Yukina and I sat in silence for a moment before she spoke up. "Kurama is really nice." She commented. I frowned.

"Kurama?" I said in confusion. "Is that his name?"

She smiled. "You haven't been introduced? Yes, that's him." She tilted her head curiously. "Have you met all of the others? Hiei, Yusuke and all?"

I nodded. "Yes, I think so. I don't know how many of them there are, though." I hesitated. "Do you know Hiei well?" For some reason he was the one who intrigued me the most.

Yukina shook her head, which disappointed me. "He seems to keep to himself. But I can tell that he's a good person."

From what I knew of him so far, that wasn't the impression I got. "What makes you think that?" I asked. Yukina stared at the floor, as if she was thinking.

"Well…I can just tell. He has a good heart. He may be a demon, but…"

"_Hiei's a demon?!"_ I squealed in shock. What the…?

Yukina's blood-red eyes widened. "You didn't know?" She said in surprise. "Oh, I'm so sorry…"

"Ummm." I asked. "Can you get Hiei in here?"

"Of course." Yukina scurried out of the room.

* * *

Jenie faints from mental stress a lot. Just warning you.


	4. Chapter 4

I waited nervously while Yukina fetched Hiei. I was wondering what I would say to him. I was uncomfortable enough just being around him, much less _talking_ to him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…

"What do you want?" Hiei snapped angrily when he came into the room, nearly breaking the door. I flinched. Okay, this _definitely_ wasn't a good idea…I gathered up all my courage to ask one question.

"What are you?"

Hiei paused for a moment, not answering. Finally, he sighed, turning away from me. "Not human."

Did it bother him that he wasn't? I couldn't tell. Not knowing what I was planning on doing, I reached a hand out to him. He looked back at me before I could touch me. I hastily withdrew my hand.

"What's it to you?" He asked rudely. I bristled.

"There you go again!" I yelled furiously. "Every time I start thinking that maybe you're a decent guy after all, you say something to mess it up! Why do you-"

Hiei clamped his hand over my mouth to silence me. My cheeks started to burn, but I wasn't sure if it was because of embarrassment at my outburst or from the warmth of his hand.

"Take it easy." Hiei said, although I didn't think he meant it to be rude. "Let's just say that my people skills aren't up to par."

This mollified me a little. Hiei dropped his hand away from my mouth, stepping away from me. I wanted to speak, but I didn't know what to say. My shy nature began to overtake my emotions, and I suddenly had difficulty looking Hiei in the eyes.

"I'm curious, though," Hiei muttered, more to himself than to me, "what would ever prompt you to think I'm 'decent?'"

I swallowed nervously. "Well, it's just…" Now that I was thinking about it, Yukina was right. It just seemed like he was. "I can just tell." I answered lamely.

Hiei raised one of his eyebrows. "I hope that's not the most convincing argument you've ever made." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Don't misconstrue me, though. The last thing I'd want is for you to get hurt just because you think I'm one of the good guys."

Huh? That didn't make any sense at all. "But aren't you?" I asked slowly. Hiei looked like he was about to answer, but I gushed on before he could. "I mean, it's not just me that thinks this, it's also Yukina. She-"

Hiei suddenly slammed both of his hands on the bed on either side on me. I gasped in shock, leaning back as far as I could. His face was only inches from mine, and he looked _furious_.

"_What has she got to do with anything_?" He hissed angrily. I tried my hardest to think up a good excuse in the face of his fury.

"I…She…We were talking!" I stammered. "And that came up! She said…She thinks that you're a good person!"

Hiei stared at me for a moment before swiftly backing away. He ran his fingers through his hair indignantly. "Fool." He said simply. I had no idea whether he was referring to me or Yukina. But right now, I didn't think it safe to say anything else. I waited for him to do something. Something that hopefully didn't involve my untimely death.

Hiei reached out to me, and I flinched. But he only brushed his fingers against a lock of my hair. "Just get better, okay?" He said. I blinked in surprise and opened my mouth to say something, but he was already gone.

**************

I had fainted because they had told me things you only ever heard about in paranormal tabloids and spoof magazines. And yet, I was getting the royal treatment like I was on my deathbed. Which wasn't that farfetched, considering I was friends with demons.

As I found out, Hiei wasn't the only demon. Kurama, Yukina, and Urameshi were demons too. As far as I knew, Keiko and Kuwabara were the only human friends I had. Which was actually kind of depressing. But hey, at least I _had_ friends now. Something that was rather new to me.

In the following days, after I was permitted to go back to school (courtesy of Kurama and Yukina), I also found that I didn't spend much time at home anymore. Not that Tong and Lian even seemed to notice. Not that I cared if they did. For the first time in my life, I was actually happy.

I saw Hiei quite a lot. But after our strange encounter the other day, I was unable to even say a word to him. I was way too shy.

On my way to school, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up breakfast. I rarely ate, so this was something of a treat for me. I found my usual cereal granola bar thing, and proceeded to checkout. The cashier was about my age, I think, and I recognized him from all the times I'd been to this store. From his smile, I knew he recognized me too. I was careful not to make eye contact as I paid. I hurried out of the store as quickly as possible.

Outside of the store, I peeled the wrapper off of the bar, savoring the cinnamon smell. I opened my mouth to bit down…But the bar was no longer in my hands. Confused, I looked around. Urameshi was standing beside me, holding my breakfast between two of his fingers. I hadn't even noticed him approach.

"_This_ is your breakfast?" Urameshi said in disgust. "It's barely enough for one bite!"

"Hey!" I snapped. "Give that back!"

Urameshi grinned wickedly, dancing out of my reach. "No."

I glared at him. Oh, I'd teach him to underestimate me…! I lunged at him, which apparently wasn't what he expected. One punch to the kidneys later, the cereal bar was back in my possession. Urameshi began to massage his arm.

"Ow! That _hurt_, Jenie! Man, you've got a wicked right-straight…" He laughed. I blushed, backing away from him. Urameshi grinned. "Anyways, I came by to see if you wanted to hang out after school."

I certainly had no objections to that! But I lowered my eyes. "I-I wouldn't want to impose…" I muttered. Urameshi laughed loudly.

"Like you would be! You're normally so quiet, it's like you're not even there! You'd have to get as annoying as Kuwabara before you'd start actually 'imposing.'"

I lifted my head, smiling widely as my answer. Urameshi smiled back, and started to walk on the way to school. I trotted behind him to keep up.

**************

After school, I still had a little time left before I was to go to Urameshi's. Most of the students had already cleared out, so I crept into the area of the school dedicated to fine arts. I snuck into one of the practice rooms, nervously digging a piece of sheet music out of my bag. I pressed a tuning note on the piano in the practice room, humming along. I really hoped no one could hear me…

I lost track of time as I sung, totally immersed in the music. I finally stopped for a drink of water, and happened to glance at the clock. I spit the mouthful of water I had out instantly.

"Holy crap!" I squealed. "How did it get so late?!" I half-ran back to my practice room, throwing my music haphazardly into my bag. I yanked my hand out, slicing it on the side of one of my textbooks. Blood splashed over the music, and I gasped from the pain. I wrapped my black jacket around my wounded hand, wincing as it throbbed.

"Smooth move." A familiar voice mocked me from the corner. I whipped around, my heart nearly jumping out of my chest.

"_Hiei_?!" I shrieked, my voice rising rapidly in pitch. Oh no…Had he heard me sing?!

"Here," he said reaching out a hand to me. I hesitated, but held out my cut hand. Hiei slipped the jacket off, resting my hand in the palm of his. He deftly unwound the cloth bandages from his left arm, wrapping them tightly around my hand. Within seconds, the pain was dulled. He dropped his hand away from mine.

"Th-thank you," I stammered, as he turned his back to me to pick up my slightly blood-covered bag. He didn't reply to me immediately, but instead flung the bag over his shoulder, making me assume he was going to carry it.

"Come on," he said. "You're going to Yusuke's, right? I'm heading there myself, so I'll take you."

Hmmm. Something told me that small kindness like this weren't Hiei's usual thing. But he was trying his hardest to be nice to me. I wondered why…


	5. Chapter 5

The trip to Urameshi's was an awkwardly silent one. Neither of us made any effort to strike up a conversation. I knew I didn't because I was too shy, but I wondered about Hiei's reason. He had offered to walk me here…For all I knew, he had dropped by Sarayashiki High simply for that purpose. So, did he hate me, or not? Argh! Why must demonic men be so confusing?!

"Yukina…Seems to have taken a liking to you," Hiei said suddenly. The sound of his voice breaking the quiet made me jump.

"R-really?" I asked, wishing I could sound more confident in myself.

"Mmm." Hiei replied. "I'm trying to figure out why."

Oh, that stung. Was I really not that likable? My angry retort was delayed when Hiei continued, musing out-loud to himself.

"You two are a lot alike…The cute innocence persona, how people naturally gravitate toward you, the beautiful singing voice…"

My pleased surprise that Hiei had technically called me 'cute' vanished instantly. He _had_ heard me sing! An embarrassed flush spread rapidly across my cheeks, and my pace slowed as I found my legs weren't exactly working that well anymore. Hiei, a few steps ahead, paused and looked back at me.

"Something wrong?" He asked, in a tone that suggested he didn't really care either way, but was asking just to be polite.

"You heard," I whispered in a horrified voice. Hiei frowned.

"Is that a bad thing? I already told you you're a good singer."

I shook my head in a panic. "No one's ever heard me sing before!" I squeaked. "I'm so embarrassed!"

Hiei sighed in exasperation, walking back up to me. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I won't tell anyone you could easily out-sing most every celebrity out there." He said. I was pretty sure he was being sarcastic to make me feel ashamed that I was acting this way. I didn't think that was possible. I was already swimming in self-loathing. When I didn't reply, Hiei scoffed, grabbing my uninjured hand and pulling me along. I didn't dare speak to him for the rest of the journey to Urameshi's.

**************

"You know Hiei's a bad influence on you if you come back from hanging out with him with bandages on your arms…" Urameshi noted when he saw me, complete with my bandaged arm.

"Shut up," Hiei retorted. "If you must know, she was injured completely without my help."

Urameshi raised one of his eyebrows. "Is that so? Well, I'd hate to see what Jenie'd look like if you were actually helping her with that." Hiei angrily gritted his teeth, probably trying to think up a witty comeback. He failed, and vanished before my very eyes. I tried to conceal my disappointment. I was rapidly growing fond of the smart-mouthed demon…But something was bothering me. Hiei seemed so close to Yukina, so were they involved…? Like, dating?

"How _did_ you get that?" Urameshi asked curiously, indicating my bandaged hand.

I shrugged. "Just clumsiness." I replied. Which was basically all it amounted to.

"Jenie!" A sweet voice cried. I instantly felt myself smiling.

"Yukina!" I replied. "What are you doing here?" The little ice maiden trotted up to me, stopping only about a foot away from me. For the first time, I noticed we were practically the same height. Which didn't say much for her, considering I was only 4' 9" myself.

"Well," she said meekly. "Yusuke told me you'd be here today, and I wanted to see you."

She…wanted to see me? That was the first time anyone's ever said that to me. I honestly didn't know what to say.

"Well, let's not stand here," Urameshi said. "I'm getting bored."

And so it went. I spent almost all my waking hours at school or Urameshi's place, or the temple where Yukina and Urameshi's mentor, Genkai, lived. It was a fantastic life. But something still felt wrong.

"Yukina?" I asked quietly one night while we were sitting in the garden of the temple. "Are you and Hiei…I mean, are you two…Together?"

"Hmmm?" She said in confusion. "Not at the moment. I'm with you right now."

I blinked. This girl really _was_ innocent. "Um…That's not what I meant. It's just like, romantic…You know?"

"Oh!" Yukina gasped. She covered her mouth with her hands. "No, no, not at all! He's just a friend."

"Oh." Why did I feel so much relief knowing that? "How did you meet him, anyway?" Curiosity got the better of me.

"They saved me." Yukina responded. "I came to the human world, to search for my brother, and I got captured by a human. Hiei and the others rescued me."

She had a brother? Wait a second…Blood red eyes…About the same height…Similar facial features…I gasped.

"Could Hiei be your brother?" I blurted. Oh wait. Maybe that wasn't the smartest idea. If Hiei knew that Yukina was his sister, wouldn't he have told her, unless there was a very specific reason why he didn't want her to know? Oops…

"Hiei?" Yukina breathed, her eyes widening. "Could it be?"

"Well, it makes sense," I said apologetically. "Just think about it."

"I…I think you're right!" Yukina exclaimed. Her eyes were glimmering with joy. "It's him! I finally found my brother!" She sprung to her feet, running down the stone stairs. I jumped up, dashing after her.

"Wait!" I called. Boy, I was a fast runner, but this little ice maiden could _sprint_! "Where are you going?"

She paused briefly, turning back to look at me. "I'm going to find Hiei, of course! I don't know if he knows he's my brother!"

Something, an instinct, told me he did. It was also telling me that Hiei was going to kill me when he found out I was the one who told her. But Yukina was already running again. I leapt after her, trying to keep up. Darn her demonic stamina…

Oh no. As soon as I had gotten to the base of the steps, she was completely out of sight. I had no idea where she'd gone, and it would be fruitless to run around wildly to search. Maybe I could ask Urameshi to make sure Hiei didn't murder me…Didn't want to die, didn't want to die…

* * *

Will Hiei rip Jenie's throat out as revenge for telling Yukina?! Or will he forgive her and propose on the spot?! Or NEITHER?! Find out in the next thrilling episode of Save Me!!

Sorry. It's kind of late and I had a lot of sugar tonight.

Lark


	6. Chapter 6

Whew! I was extremely pleased to find that I was still alive when I woke up the next morning. I had been certain Hiei would have tracked me down in the course of the night and slew me on the spot. But no, I was still breathing, and my heart thumped reassuringly against my chest. Now, I just had to make sure it stayed that way…

I nervously peeked around the corner close to the school. There were no angry demons in sight…

"What'cha doing, Jenie?" Asked a loud voice behind. I squeaked in terror, my heart nearly jumping out of my mouth. I spun around, more than glad to see the voice belonged to Urameshi. Okay, so I might live a few more minutes…

"Looking for someone," I replied. He frowned.

"Looks more like you're avoiding someone," he said. Great. The one day he chooses to be perceptive… "Are you being stalked?"

"I don't think so." I said. "Well, not really."

Urameshi crossed his arms. "What do you mean?" Now, I had no choice but to tell him.

"Well, see…I kind of told Yukina that Hiei was her brother, and she probably found him and told him. I think Hiei's going to kill me now." I said in a rush. Urameshi stared at me for a minute before bursting into laughter. I didn't think that appropriate, considering I feared for my life.

"You figured it out? Well, that makes you smarter than Kuwabara, at least." He calmed down, the smile vanishing from his face. "But if Hiei wants to kill you, nothing's going to stop him. I doubt even I could help you."

I gasped in horror, and Urameshi's mouth twitched up in a smile. "I said, _if he wants to_. Something tells me he wouldn't want to kill you, no matter how angry he is."

I paused, thinking this over. "Are you sure about that?" I asked timidly.

"Fairly sure." He responded, turning his back on me and walking up to the school gates. I glared at his back.

"Hey!" I snapped, knowing he had been teasing me. Urameshi's laugh floated over. I huffed angrily, following him at a much slower pace. Life and death situations may be a normal day of work to him and his friends, but to me, it was something new…

**************

3:00 PM. I was still alive. The bell rang, and Keiko trotted over to invite me shopping after school with her and her friends. I agreed, hoping I wasn't putting them in danger by hanging out with them. I told them I needed to drop by my house to get my wallet first.

I was excited to go shopping with them. So excited, that I wasn't exactly paying attention. A black clad figure dropped to the ground in front of me.

"_What kind of an idiot are you_?" Hiei snarled in my face. I gasped, finding my ability to speak completely gone, and backed away. Hiei stepped closer to me, clearly not willing to let me get away. He growled at me again. "Why in the seven hells you would tell Yukina I'm her brother?!"

"I didn't know!" I squealed, holding up a book in front of me for as much protection as it could offer. "I didn't know she wasn't supposed to know!"

I was afraid he was going to start yelling at me again, but he just stood there, huffing angrily. Finally, he sighed, leaning away from me.

"Fine." He said, his voice eerily cold. "I'll forgive you this one time. How's your hand?"

The change of topic was so rapid that I didn't comprehend immediately. "Huh?" I asked. Hiei sighed in exasperation.

"How's your hand?" He repeated, more slowly this time.

"F-fine," I stammered. I showed it to him. "I'm a fast healer." Indeed, although it had only been about a week, my wound had already healed up.

Hiei took my hand to examine it, a touch that caused my heart to pound. He frowned, and I wondered if there was something wrong. "That's a bad scar," Hiei commented. "From what I know of human females, you don't like to have scars." He released my hand.

"It's not that bad," I said, dropping my hand back to my side. "I don't mind scars." I was sure Hiei had more than his share of them. "Besides, not all human girls are the same, you know."

Hiei chuckled lightly, the first time I'd ever heard him make such a sound. "Oh, I know." He replied in amusement. He began to walk off, and I trotted behind him.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm taking you home. That _is _where you were going, right?"

"Um…Yes…But…"

"But what?" He asked indignantly.

"But why are you going through so much trouble for me?" I asked quietly. There. I'd finally said it.

Hiei paused for a moment. "I…don't know." He replied. "Besides, I don't have anything else to do."

"Oh." I said. I was really happy for his company, especially since I knew he wasn't going to kill me now.

We walked in silence for the rest of the way. He took me all the way up to the front door of my house, where he hesitated for a moment. I waited for him to speak. While I was waiting, I felt myself being lost in his eyes. Falling, falling…Into darkness.

**************

Words and bits of phrases floated across my consciousness, or lack thereof.

"…mental stress…"

"…fainted…"

"…poor girl…"

"…fine…"

"…good thing…was there…catch her."

These whispered fragments weren't making any sense. I wanted to wake up, to see what was going on, but for some reason, I couldn't. Was there something holding me back?

"…ever…going to wake up?" The voices were becoming clearer, and I thought I recognized them. But who? My mind wasn't working well enough. I knew I knew who, but I couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle together. I felt so lost…

"Is…wrong with her?" Asked a voice. A voice I managed to place instantly. Hiei! I struggled harder to waken, out of sheer desire to see him. It was like being trapped deep underwater, trying to desperately swim to the surface.

"Jenie…"

There it was! Hearing Hiei say me name gave me the strength to fight against the strange pressure that was keeping me unconscious. I swam to the surface of the darkness, bursting out into glorious light.

I gasped, as if I hadn't tasted sweet air for days. The people around my bed murmured in surprise, as I squirmed around to regain my bearings. I felt a warm, strong hand grip my arm, and I calmed down.

"Welcome back," Hiei remarked quietly. I tried to smile, but found myself far too tired to do so. I didn't know how long I'd been unconscious, but I felt like I hadn't slept for a very, very long time.

"What happened?" I asked, hardly able to raise my voice.

"You fainted," Urameshi pointed out. "Again."

"Sorry," I muttered softly.

"Why?" Kurama asked. "No reason to be sorry."

"Something tells me you've been hanging around Hiei too much," Urameshi teased. "He's starting to rub off on you. You're turning out to be as big of a pain as he is."

"Shut _up_, Detective," Hiei growled. "For your information, there was no _rubbing_."

Urameshi's left eyebrow raised, in a mocking sort of manner. "Figure of speech, m'man. Cleary, you still have far to go before you master the human lingo."

"You hungry?" Kurama asked brightly, taking everyone's attention away from the possible fight between Hiei and Urameshi. Noticing that he was talking to me, I nodded, lowering my glance to the floor. It was so hard to keep eye contact with Kurama, for some reason. Those emerald eyes just compelled one to look away.

"Yukina's coming," Kuwabara commented as he bounded into the room. I jumped slightly. I hadn't know he was here.

"I'm fine," I insisted. None of the three boys (as Kurama had left to fetch me some food) looked very convinced. I sighed, falling back on the bed. Taking this as a sign that I wanted to sleep more, the boys left the room.

Kurama came back a moment later, holding a steaming bowl in his hands. I assumed it was some sort of soup. I watched him, careful to not make eye contact as he set the bowl on a table out of arm's reach. I was surprised when he came and sat on the bed beside me.

I was even more surprised when he rested the palm of his hand on my forehead, as if checking for my temperature.

"I'm fine, really." I replied, although my protest was weaker this time.

Kurama gave me a small smile. "I am not so sure about that." He said. "Twice. You've fainted from mental stress twice. I'm worried that there might be some brain damage of some sort…We should probably take you to a doctor."

"Can't Yukina cure anything that might be wrong with me?" I asked desperately. I hated hospitals. Not to mention, I did absolutely _not_ want to fathom the idea that there was something wrong with me.

Kurama smiled again, a more sympathizing smile. "No, I don't think she can do that. Her powers are more of an enhancement for the body's own healing process. And if you have something like cancer, that's not going to be much help." Seeing my shocked expression he hurriedly continued, "Not that that's what I think you have! But it's a possibility."

I hesitated, thinking about what he'd said. I didn't want to go, but maybe it was better to make sure I was okay? I was torn.

"Alright," I said at last. "I'll go."

"Good." Kurama replied. He stood up, offering a hand to me. I blinked in confusion.

"Now?" I asked.

"Yes, now. The sooner the better. Besides, the others should have gone to Yusuke's on request of Ko…Our boss. Perfect timing."


	7. Chapter 7

The CAT scan made me feeling horribly claustrophobic. I hated having to lay in that strange little tunnel, while the machinery revolved around me. Since I had to lie completely still for a few hours, I busied myself with thinking about how I would pay for this. I couldn't expect Kurama to pay for it, and I was willing to bet my life that Tong and Lian wouldn't pay for it either. I know I didn't have enough money…

Finally, _finally_, the technician shut off the machine, and helped me to sit up.

"How do you feel?" She asked. I tried to smile, finding the action a lot more difficult than it should be.

"Not too well," I admitted. The technician frowned.

I was afraid of that," She said. "Some people have an adverse reaction to the radioactivity we have to give you. I think you are one of those people."

"Lovely," I replied. The technician gave me a grim smile.

"Well, seeing as that's how it is, I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for at least a night. I am sorry, but we have to make sure the aftereffects go away."

I sighed. "I understand."

**************

Kurama was still sitting in the waiting room, immersed in a book. He leapt up as I entered the room.

"How'd it go?" He asked me quietly. I grimaced.

"Not good. Apparently I had some bad reaction to the CAT scan, blah blah blah, and they want to keep me here overnight."

"Oh." Kurama said, a mixture of emotions flittering across his face, worry being the most prominent. "Do you want me to call your foster parents?"

I laughed bitterly. "No, thank you. I doubt they'd even notice if I didn't come home for a few days. Wait, actually, could you go get some stuff for me? Like my pajamas and everything?"

Kurama smiled. "Of course." He waited patiently while I asked the receptionist for a piece of paper to write a list of things I'd need on. After I was done writing (I had tried to make the list as short as possible), I was escorted to a one-person hospital room, where I would stay the night. I gave Kurama's name (his human name) to the receptionist, with instructions to let him see me when he came back.

I laid on the rigid, sanitary cot-thingy, and fell into a light sleep.

And while I slept, I dreamt.

**************

I was looking into a room like I was floating above it. I think…It was Kurama's living room, and he was in it. Walking through, with a bag (one of mine) slung over his shoulder. As I watched, he paused cautiously, as if he sensed someone other than himself in the room. And sure enough, moments later, a familiar black-clothed figure suddenly appeared from nowhere on the sofa.

"Well? Where have you spirited Jenie away to?" Hiei drawled. I noticed a piece of paper in his hand, although I couldn't read what was on it. It looked like a poster of some sort. I didn't bother with it anymore, preferring to listen to Kurama's report.

Kurama looked very nervous because of Hiei's question. It seemed like he was trying to think up a lie to feed to Hiei, but knowing Hiei and that weird telepathic thing of his (still didn't totally know what that was about), Hiei would be able to sense the lie. Finally, Kurama exhaled, giving up completely.

"She's at the hospital," he sighed. Hiei's red eyes narrowed, and he stood up so fast that I didn't even see the action.

"_What_?" He snarled. "What's she doing there? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing!" Kurama insisted hastily. "I just took her there to make sure she's okay!"

Hiei didn't answer for a minute. Then he got right up in Kurama's face and growled, "_Take me to her_!"

I shot awake, still thinking that I was in the room. But instead, I say a sterile white room around me. The hospital.

Had that just been a dream? It had seemed so real. Oh well. I couldn't dwell on it any longer. The sun had already fallen, and Kurama would surely be back at any time. I didn't want to sleep through his visit, however brief it may be. Visiting hours were long over.

"Jenie?" His quiet, silky voice asked. I turned with a reply, but my voice died in my throat when I saw the angry face of everyone's favorite demon…

"H-Hiei?!" I squealed, automatically gripping my pillow to use as a shield. Even though it wouldn't do much good unless all he did was spit at me.

"The hospital?" He hissed at me through clenched teeth. "What. Are. You. Doing. In. A. _Hospital?!"_

I pressed the pillow against my face, as if that could somehow protect me from Hiei's fury. "I was going to go to sleep!" I blurted, thinking the first thing that came to my mind.

Pure silence from the other side of the pillow. I was willing to bet I could test that old adage, 'so quiet you could hear a pin drop.' Cautiously, I peeked out from the edge of the pillow to see both Kurama and Hiei staring at me, wide-eyed. A moment later, they burst into hysterical laughter. The pillow slipped from my grasp. I don't remember _ever_ hearing Hiei laugh before. It was strange, but not in a bad way. If I hadn't been so surprised, I probably would have giggled along with them.

"D-did I say something?" I stammered. Kurama smiled in amusement, while Hiei's face slid back into its usual stoic expression.

"Don't worry about it," Kurama said smoothly. "Here's your things." He handed me a bag, before glancing at Hiei. Hiei returned Kurama's glance with a ferocious glare, and Kurama awkwardly left the room. I blushed, averting my eyes.

"_Are_ you alright?" He asked quietly. I hesitated.

"I don't know yet. I haven't gotten the test results. But I think I am. At least I feel fine." Uh-oh. I was blabbering. How embarrassing.

Hiei didn't reply. And I couldn't think of anything to say to fill the silence. At least that was until I noticed the paper in his hand. The same paper I had seen him holding in my dream. Which, I was pretty sure wasn't a dream. Maybe some form of telepathy? Getting to know Urameshi and the others had convinced me that anything was possible.

"Oh, here, I was going to give this to you," Hiei said when he noticed where I was looking. He handed the paper over to me. Slightly suspicious, I glanced down at it.

"Singing competition," I read out loud. "Anyone can enter. Pick you own song, and remember to have fun! Registration is free. Please pick up a registration at City Hall. The competition will take place this Saturday at 2:00 PM, in Hakumatsu Park. Grand Prize is $1000!" I glanced up at Hiei. "Why would you want to give me this?"

Hiei stared at me like he couldn't believe I had just asked that question. "Why else? I think you should enter."

I gasped, and the paper slipped from my hands. "What?! _Why_?"

"Because you're a good singer, of course. I'm fairly certain you could win." He gave me a very smug smirk. "I _have_ heard you sing before, you know."

"I couldn't!" I gasped, the skin of my cheeks reddening rapidly. "I can't even sing in front of _you_, much less a crowd of people!"

Hiei frowned and flopped down into a nearby chair, resting his feet up on my bed. "Why would you have a problem with singing in front of me?"

I blushed even more furiously than before, mentally scrambling for an answer. Why couldn't I sing in front of Hiei? I wasn't _attracted_ to him…Was I?

"Well?" Hiei pressed, roughly forcing me from my thoughts. I shook my head unhelpfully.

"I don't know!" I squealed. "I just can't."

Hiei's blood-colored eyes narrowed. "You don't really think I'm going to buy that, do you?"

"I hoped you might," I replied in a small voice. This time, Hiei smirked in amusement. He swung his feet of my bed and stood, all in one swift motion.

"I should have known," he commented, heading for the door to my room.

"Hey!" I snapped. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Hiei paused, but he didn't answer. With one hand on the doorknob he turned back to me, pointing to the paper in my hands.

"Just give it a thought, alright?" He said softly. "And make sure to tell me the test results."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

I don't know how long it might be until I can update this again...I'm trying my hardest, but I'm a slow writer...So please, bear with me!

My apologies. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it...


	8. Chapter 8

This couldn't be happening.

I stared at the doctor, unable to believe what he had just told me. A malignant brain tumor? Me? But how…?

"Are you sure?" I asked the doctor for the third of fourth time.

He smiled sympathetically at me, patting my knee. "Yes. I am sorry, and we will do everything we can, but the tumor itself is dangerous enough, and the surgery could very well kill you…As it is, it's probably fatal."

I attempted to swallow, only to find my throat dry. "How long?"

The doctor shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. With this kind of cancer, it's never for sure. I would say six months to a year. I truly am sorry. Is there any family I can call?"

I started to shake my head, before I remembered. They weren't blood family, but they were more family than I had ever had before.

"Um, yeah," I reached for a piece of paper, scribbling down Kurama's phone number with a shaking hand. "Here. Ask for Shuichi, please."

"Alright." The doctor left to go make the call, and the instant the door shut behind him, I burst into tears.

**************

"Jenie! We came as fast as we could." Kurama huffed as he, Hiei, Yukina, Yusuke, Keiko, and Kuwabara came poring into the room. I tried to smile as best as I could, and failed quite spectacularly. I felt tears straining at my eyes again and lowered my head so they wouldn't see.

But they still noticed. Yukina squeaked in distress, throwing her arms around me. I couldn't hold in it anymore. I sobbed onto her shoulder, pouring out all my sorrow. Months ago, long before I'd met Yusuke, and thusly everyone else, I wouldn't have been too bothered by dying. But now that I had friends…

"How long did they say?" Kurama asked quietly. I wiped my eyes, raising my head to look at him.

"Not more than a year," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Kurama closed his eyes in horror. Yukina and Keiko stifled a sob, and Hiei was expressionless as a glacier. I wanted to know what he thought about this. Did he care I was going to die?

"Well," I said, trying to lighten the mood, "At least now I won't have to worry about taking college entrance exams…"

"That's not funny," Kurama said, but he cracked a small smile.

"Isn't there an operation or something these useless humans can do?" Hiei snapped suddenly, causing all of us to jump in surprise.

"Ummm…" I replied. "Yes, but it's more likely to kill me than the tumor itself."

Hiei growled angrily, turning and walked quickly from the room.

"Hiei!" Kurama called after him reproachfully. I shook my head.

"Let him go," I said. "At least this means he cares…I think."

No one answered me, so I wasn't sure if they agreed with me or not. But I liked to think that since I was going to die, I was allowed a little freedom to pretend.

"Um…" I said, unsure of how to tell them I wanted to be alone. "I've had a long day, maybe perhaps, I could sleep?"

"Of course," Kurama said smiling. "We'll be back tomorrow." They all filed out, one by one, Yukina touching my hand sadly before she left. I laid back on the bed, sighing.

"Just great." I mumbled angrily to myself. "Right when I actually have a reason to live, I find out I'm dying…"

"What is your reason?"

I nearly screamed from the shock when someone spoke from the open window. I turned to see Hiei sitting on the window sill, staring at me.

"You heard that?" I squeaked.

Hiei jumped down to the floor, striding towards me slowly. "I seem to hear a lot of things you don't want me to," he remarked casually. I glared at him as angrily as I could.

"So," he pressed again. "What is your reason?"

"I'm not telling you!" I snapped. I knew I was blushing wildly, and Hiei had probably noticed as well.

He smirked in amusement, but didn't ask me again. Feeling a little bitter, I scooted over on the bed so he could sit on the end.

"Humans die all the time," Hiei said calmly. "Even as we speak, millions of them around the world are taking their last breath…"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked. "Because it's kind of not working."

"I've known lots of humans that have died. Killed a fair few myself." Hiei continued, seemingly like he hadn't heard me. "But you're the only human that's dying that I've actually been bothered by."

"Wait a second," I said, trying to disguise the fluttering of my heart. "Do you mean I bother you, or my eventual death."

The corner of Hiei's mouth tilted up in a amused smile. "Your eventual death, of course."

"Not even Yusuke?" I asked curiously, excited of the fact that I might rank higher than him.

Hiei paused. "If you want to get technical, he's not human. Besides, Yusuke's in life-or-death situations every day. This is different."

I stayed quiet, not sure how to answer. I was glad he thought that of me, but still sad that I was going to die. I would have liked to have friends like these for more than just a year…

"Sleep," Hiei said quietly. "I think I'll stay here tonight."

Smiling slightly at the fact that he hadn't even asked me if it was okay he stayed, I sank back into my bed, watching as Hiei crossed the room to turn out the light before retreated back to the window sill.

**************

I had slept better than I can ever remember sleeping before. A niggling sensation in the back on my mind told me that it had only been because Hiei was there, since the hospital bed was not exactly stuffed with angel feathers.

But when I woke up in the morning, the window was open and there was no sign of Hiei. While I was a little disappointed, I understood why. If a nurse came in and saw a strange boy sleeping on my window sill, she wouldn't have to think twice before calling the cops. I wondered when, or even if he would ever visit again.

All through the day, various friends visited me. But not Hiei. Fondly, I thought that he was probably too shy (ironic of me to call someone else shy). But maybe he would come again at night.

When I had free time, I looked at the flyer Hiei had given me, debating on whether I would really do it. I didn't see as much harm in it now that I was dying. Funny how impending death makes one see things in a whole new light.

A soft but authoritative knock on the door interrupted my slightly morbid thoughts. Hmmm…It wasn't Yusuke or Kuwabara, because they barged right in without knocking. Yukina and Keiko's knocks were more subdued. Could be Kurama…

"Come in," I called. The door opened, only to disappoint me further. It was none of my friends. A nurse.

She smiled at me pleasantly. "Well, I have some good news, Miss Leigh. You can go home if you like."

"Really?" I said in surprise. I had thought that they would keep me here full time now that I had cancer.

"Yes. There are some conditions…We will need to see you twice a week to run treatments, and if you feel the slightest thing wrong, you need to come back right away. There are also certain activities you cannot engage in, and foods you cannot eat. I will give you or whomever comes to pick you up a list."

"Thank you," I said quietly, while I was jumping for joy inside. I could go home! Who cared if home was where my awful foster parents (who hadn't yet called or came to see me) were. It was better than here!

"Can you call someone to come and get you?" The nurse asked, her voice never straying from its politely pleasant tone.

"Um, yes. Give me a minute." I did feel bad about relying on Kurama for everything, but he was sensible, and actually had a phone, unlike a certain fire demon who probably didn't even know what a cell phone was.

"I'll be right there," Kurama said after I called him. I hung up the phone, jittery and eager to leave. That awful hospital smell was really getting to me.

"So, you're leaving…"

I nearly jumped completely out of my revealing hospital gown. As I turned to face my window, I saw Hiei climbing into my room from it.

"Is that a problem?" I asked, recovering quickly.

"Not in the slightest. But it's probably safer for you here."

I smiled dryly. "I'm gonna die anyway, so safety isn't really an issue anymore."

Hiei didn't reply, but I could tell he wasn't happy with what I had said. Well, too bad. I was only stating the truth.

"Where will you live?" He asked finally. I blinked in surprise.

"What? At my home, of course!"

Hiei scoffed angrily. "No, you're not. You can't expect me to just let you go and live with your piggish excuse for parents!

"Well, thank you for your concern, but I have no where else to live. They'll leave me alone, at least, and if I leave my window open, I guess you could always visit…" I blushed wildly, releasing what I had just asked. "That is, if you would want to…"

Hiei's eyes flitted to the door, and he turned back to the window. "We'll see." He said simply, before vanishing into the night air. Seconds later, the door opened, and Kurama walked in. I continued to stare at the empty window for a moment.

"Ready to go?" Kurama asked, distracting me. I smiled at him, getting up off my bed.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

I enjoy having stories when the main character is dying. I wonder if I should be worried about myself...


	9. Chapter 9

Okay...So, I've had something of a complaint or disagreement, or whatever you want to call it, and I want to clear a few things up. I'm really sorry if I'm coming off as insensitive, but death is a fact of life. I've dealt with it personally, and I know how much it hurts when someone dies of cancer (not brain cancer, but cancer). During the course of our own lives, we ALL will know someone close to us who passes away. I'm trying to make the story semi-realistic, and death is very real, for everyone.

I'm sorry if this offends you, and if you want to stop reading the story, feel free to. I AM sorry if you feel that way, but I can't change how you feel. I do ask one favor: just please don't tell me if you plan on stopping. It makes me upset when someone says that, because I feel I've failed as a writer and let me tell you, that's a serious blow to the self-esteem. I'm doing the best I can!

I don't want to give away the ending of the story, but I'll tell you something: I don't like unhappy endings.

Come to think of it, it's probably my fault. I shouldn't have said that I enjoy stories when the main character is dying in the previous chapter. All I meant is that it creates a very real situation with conflict, and it's easier for me to add emotions to the story when the characters are in such an emotional situation.

Anyways, if you are still planning on reading this chapter and you haven't gotten completely disgusted with me and my writing, I hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Tong and Lian didn't seem to have even noticed I had been gone for several days. Tong grunted when he saw me, which was the only indication he gave that he knew I existed at all. Kurama had insisted he carry my stuff for me, but I refused to let him. Minimal exposure to Tong and Lian was really the best thing.

I collapsed on my bed in exhaustion, laying there only a moment before I got up to open the window. I doubted whether Hiei would visit again, but just in case…

The cool night air gently breezed in my window, lulling me to sleep as I snuggled under my blankets. The funny thing about life was that you had to be dying before you truly appreciated the small pleasures in life.

**************

I woke up the next morning, after another restful sleep. It was chilly in my room, and I couldn't think why it would be, until I saw the open window. Funny…I couldn't remember opening it.

I crossed my room, pushing the window closed before collapsing on my bed again. To fight against the cold, I snuggled under my blankets. But I wasn't tired anymore. I just didn't have anything else to do. As it was Sunday, I naturally didn't have school. So I had absolutely nothing to do.

The door to my room banged open, most likely punching a hole in the wall. Hidden beneath my covers, I managed to disguise my jump of surprise. Groaning, I pulled the blankets even tighter around my body.

"What are you doing in bed at this hour?" Lian demanded. I wished my blankets could block out sound, as well…

"I'm sick!" I called back, my voice muffled.

"With what? How are you sick? I hope you don't expect us to coddle to your every need."

Angrily, I sat up, throwing the covers off of me.

"Cancer!" I shrieked at her. "I've got cancer! I'm going to die!"

Lian's expression changed from one of anger to surprise. But she didn't look at all sorry.

"That's a shame," she said calmly. "Is there any friends you can stay with from now on, then? Neither Tong nor I have the time to take care of you if that's the case."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Not that Tong and Lian were particularly known for their compassion, but even this was just ridiculous! I was dying, and all she cared about was that I didn't inconvenience her? Well, _excuuuuuse_ me!

I scrambled out of the bed, nearly twisting myself up into the sheets and falling. But I wouldn't give Lian the satisfaction.

"I'll find something," I snarled as viciously as I could. I bolted down the stairs and out the front door, not even pausing when Tong yelled at me. Tears were blurring my vision as I ran down the sidewalk, catching stares of passing strangers. But I didn't care. All that mattered was getting out of there as fast as possible.

**************

I ran until I couldn't catch my breath anymore. I didn't recognize the part of town I was now in, but it didn't look completely reputable. But that wasn't the biggest concern on my list right now. But what was I going to do now?

Where was Hiei when you needed him?

"You called?"

Hiei was certainly getting a knack for scaring the living hell out of me. But my shock was rapidly replaced by pure relief at the sight of the fire demon. Shooting to my feet, I threw my arms around him.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" I said, on the verge of tears.

"Thanks," Hiei replied as he quickly embraced me back before pushing me away. "What are you doing out here, Jenie?"

I wiped my fingers under my eyes, clearing away the tears. "My foster parents kicked me out when I told him I was sick. They refuse to take care of me."

Hiei's expression melted from one of polite interest to extreme fury.

"_WHAT_?!" He snarled. "I'll kill them!"

"No!" I squealed, grabbing his wrist to stop him. "They're human! You can't do that to humans!"

"Watch me!" Hiei hissed in my face. Even though his anger wasn't directed at me, it terrified me. I took a step back from him. The fury melted from his face.

"No, wait, I'm sorry, Jenie. I'm sorry."

I must be one of the first people in the world to make Hiei apologize. I felt I should receive an award or something.

"It's alright. Just please, don't…"

Hiei sighed. "I won't. For you. But come with me. Maybe Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Kurama can take you in. Let's go."

I could tell he was still royally pissed off, but at least he was controlling it. He began to strut away quickly, and I had to jog a little to keep up with him. But I felt better about life now that Hiei had rescued me. At least the remaining bit of life I had left, that is.

**************

"Kurama!" Hiei shouted, banging on the front door of the Minamino residence.

"Shush!" I said quietly. "Call him Shuichi!" The only ones who knew Kurama's demon name were the ones who actually knew he was a demon.

"Like I care what he prefers to go by," the black-clad demon snapped out of annoyance. Probably annoyance that Kurama was either gone or ignoring him. I was almost afraid he was going to break down the door for a moment there.

"Come on," he finally sighed, walking off towards the back of the house. Curious, I followed him obediently.

A single window on the second story was wide open, the room it led to dark. I frowned at Hiei, wondering how he had known it would be open.

"Here, I can carry you up," he said. I paused, confused.

"Wait, who's house is this again?"

Hiei looked at me like I was a rabid, two-headed weasel with purple fur. "Kurama's…" He said slowly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh yeah," I replied, wondering why he had asked that. Hiei shook his head in bewilderment after a moment, wrapping his arm around my waist. My heart thumped painfully against my chest, and the next instant, I was flying through the air. Hiei landed lightly on the window sill, helping me through the window before sliding in himself.

"I suppose you can stay here until Kurama comes back," Hiei mused thoughtfully. "I'm not sure his family will be okay with you staying here, but if not, then maybe Genkai's temple."

"Thanks," I said quietly. "For everything. It means a lot."

Hiei stared at me for a minute before turning away. "You're welcome," he mumbled. And I think I caught the slightest hint of embarrassment. Probably another first for Hiei.

"I'm tired," I said suddenly, just as I became aware of the fact.

"Hmph." Hiei said. He wandered over to Kurama's desk, ignoring the chair to sit on the desk. "Sleep. I'll be here if you need anything."

"Mmmm," I replied, as I laid down on Kurama's bed. Already, I could feel myself losing consciousness. I was asleep in seconds.


	10. Chapter 10

When I woke, Kurama and Hiei were quietly talking in the corner. Smiling, I sat up. Noticing my movement, they both stopped talking instantly and looked over at me. For a minute, I wondered if they had been talking about me.

"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Been better. Not dying would probably boost my mood."

"Well, you can live here. We'll pay for your medical bills, your medicine, anything you need…My mother's already agreed."

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed. "I can't do that to you! I'm so sorry!"

The redheaded demon smiled. "It's no problem. We don't mind."

I still felt extremely guilty for laying all my dying expenses on Kurama and his mother. "May I meet your mother, and thank her?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course." Kurama got up, walking to the door. I followed him, and Hiei stayed in the room.

A woman, middle-aged, with long black hair and attractively homely features was stirring a pot over the stove. Kurama cleared his throat to alert her to our presence.

"Jenie, this is my mother, Shiori Minamino. Mother, this is Jenie Leigh."

"Jenie," she said, smiling at me. "I hope you're well?"

"Enough, thank you," I said, bowing respectfully. "And thank you so much for letting me stay here. I'll try not to be a bother…"

"Don't worry about it," Shiori said, showing how much like her son she was. "Now, if you want to go wash up, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She glanced up at the ceiling. "Are you sure you don't want to ask your friend to join us for dinner?"

Kurama chuckled. "Nothing escapes you, Mother. I'll go check with him." Kurama beckoned to me, and I followed him back up to his room.

Hiei declined the invitation to dinner, which made me a little disappointed. But oh well. There was always tomorrow.

When we went back downstairs, dinner was sitting on the table, along with a pretty woman with long black hair. I bowed to her hastily.

"I'm Jenie Leigh," I introduced myself. I waited patiently for her to do the same. She glanced at Kurama, with a worried expression.

"Jenie, are you alright…?" She asked. I frowned.

"Yes…But if you don't mind, would you tell me your name?"

"Jenie," Kurama said, grabbing my wrist. "I think we need to go have a talk. Mother," he called ot the woman, "could you save dinner for us?"

"Of course," the woman replied, looking worried. I looked back at her, now thinking she seemed familiar. Had I met her before?

"Do you really not remember Mother?" Kurama asked me quietly when we were back in his room.

"Did I meet her before? It must've been so long ago, I've forgotten," I said. "I really should thank her for letting me stay…"

"That's the thing, Jenie. You already did. You met her less than ten minutes ago before we came back and talked to Hiei. You already thanked her. But you don't remember any of it." He ran his fingers through his long red hair, thoughtfully. "And Hiei told me how you forgot something he'd told you only a few minutes before. I think…I think your tumor is affecting your memory."

I closed my eyes in horror. "Oh no…Oh gosh, I'm…I'm so sorry, Kurama."

"Nothing to be sorry about. But this is a problem, Jenie. Maybe…You shouldn't go to school for a while."

Not that a good education mattered if you weren't going to be live to use it, but…

"Do you ever wonder who decides when you die?" I asked quietly. Kurama frowned, looking a little worried at my sudden change of topic. "Why should someone, no matter how godly, have the right to choose that I don't get to eventually get married, have a family…Win a Nobel Prize…Become a rock star…Or whatever I want. But I'm not the one who gets to choose."

Kurama rested his hand on mine. "I know it's unfair, Jenie…And I don't know who gets to decide things like that, but I'd like to meet them and give them a piece of my mind for choosing this fate for you." I smiled at my friend, grateful for the care he was showing me. I only wished Hiei would care as much…

**************

I was getting bored without school, but what else could I do? And my problems were getting worse. I would eat dinner, and then five minutes later, forget what I had eaten. I would walk into a room and forget what I was even doing there. If I met someone (which usually was just doctors or nurses when Kurama took me for my checkups) I would forget who they were before they even left the room. Not to mention, I had developed this annoying, constant headache that made it hard to sleep. This dying business was really irritating.

Hiei hadn't visited me once since I first started to live with Kurama. At least, I was sure he hadn't. I didn't trust my memory much anymore. But still, if he had visited more than once, I don't think I would have forgotten. Everyone else came often, and I remembered almost every single one of those…

Kurama must have noticed I was getting depressed about Hiei. One day, I knelt next to the window, my arms resting on the windowsill. The sky was cloudy with the promise of rain. The chilly wind blew across my face, refreshing me. I watched cars on the street drive by, and I wondered what the people inside were thinking. Where were they going? Was death a topic even remotely on their minds? Was that woman, speeding along in the red SUV, rushing to see a relative in the hospital who could be passing on this very minute? Or was that man in the black sports car driving so slowly because he'd just received news that his grandmother had died, and he wasn't sure how he could continue a normal life without her? Probably not. They probably were just living their lives, and they would never know a girl with her days quickly running out was watching them.

Suddenly, instead of staring out into the distance street, I found my vision clouded by black cloth. With a shriek, I threw myself back, landing painfully on the floor. The fall sent an agonizing jolt through my brain that was gone in seconds, but felt like hours.

"Sorry," Hiei said, leaning down to offer his hand to me. I took it, reveling in the unnatural warmth of his skin. He pulled me to my feet, while I kept one hand on the back of my skull, where it was still throbbing lightly. Hiei hesitated, before pressing the tips of his fingers against the ache in my head. His fingers grew hotter and hotter before he finally stepped back. Wondrously, I touched my head where he had just let me go. The pain was gone!

"How…?" I asked in shock.

Hiei shrugged with disinterest, looking away. "Basic heat therapy. It's all the rage, I hear."

"Thanks," I said meaningfully. "Why are you here, anyway?"

Oops. That had apparently had been completely the wrong thing to say. Hiei's eyes snapped back to me coldly. "Is it wrong for me to visit a dying friend? Do you have a problem with that? Is that against some sort of stupid human custom now?"

I was taken back from his violent reaction. I stumbled back, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. Once again, the small spark of fear I had first felt when I had met Hiei fluttered in my chest. What should I do?

Hiei seemed equally surprised at his own reaction. He froze, his blood red eyes widening in horror. He reached out a bandaged hand to me, and I automatically stepped back. I was only then aware that I was shaking like a leaf. He dropped his hand, retreating to the window. No! He couldn't leave!

My hand flashed out, snagging on the edge of Hiei's black cloak, yanking him back, off of the window sill. The fire demon flailed, unable to catch his balance in time, and fell back on me, crushing me right back into the ground. My head smacked on the floor, causing me to see stars. Pretty gold stars the flashed and flickered in my vision, creating a special little dance, just for me…

"Jenie!" Hiei yelled, snapping me back to reality. Somehow, I was on my feet now, and he was not-so-gently shaking my shoulders. I yanked myself away from him, pressing on my head to feel the damage. Now, my head was numb, which was certainly an improvement over pain.

"Ugh," Hiei said. "I've forgotten how fragile humans are. I'm going to have to be more careful with you."

Behind Hiei, I saw a flicker of a shadow. I gasped in horror, and Hiei spun, his hand already reaching for the sword hilt beneath his cloak. But there was nothing there. I frowned, confused at what I had seen. I was so sure there had been something there!

"Maybe you should lay down," Hiei suggested, the tone in his voice sounding like he was a little exasperated with me.

"I'm fine," I insisted, waving him off. The last thing I needed was for Hiei to think I was a weakling. In an awful twist of fate, I saw a flash of bright light from out the window, followed by a horrifically loud smash of thunder.

I shrieked in terror, throwing myself at Hiei. I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting for the awful echoes to stop. When I dared to open my eyes, I realized that I had knocked Hiei to the floor, where he was propping himself up with his hands. My arms were clasped tightly around his torso, and I was sure that he was probably having difficulty breathing. In embarrassment, I flung myself back, away from him, holding my hands up like I was having a gun pointed at me. I didn't even have the courage to look at him right away, although I was sure my red cheeks gave away my humiliation.

I heard a strange noise coming from Hiei's direction, and forced myself to glance up. What I saw shocked the fear right out of me.

He was laughing! The stoic, emotionless Hiei was laughing! At me! He was still sitting where I had knocked him over, using only one hand to keep himself steady. He was holding the over hand over his mouth to stifle the sound. His eyes were closed in mirth, and his whole body was shaking with the effort of suppressing his amusement.

Now my surprise was quickly becoming anger. "Why are you laughing at me?!" I snapped.

"So…" Hiei gasped between chuckles, "the great Jenie is afraid of thunder, of all things…Not demons, not her own death, but thunder…"

"It's not funny!" I hissed. There was another crash of thunder, and I covered my eyes, squeaking with fear. I stayed completely still, waiting with bated breath to hear the next one. My heart was pounding so painfully fast…

I felt a tugging on my arm, and opened my eyes to see Hiei pulling on my wrist. He looked completely serious, and I couldn't figure out what he was doing.

"Here," he said, completely uncharacteristically, "I'll protect you. Come here."

He gave one final yank on my wrist, and I suddenly found myself sitting in his lap, one of his hands lightly touching my back. His face was turned away, and even then, he didn't look embarrassed or self-conscious, like I was. Just politely patient, as he waited for the storm to stop.

Raindrops were slapping against the half-open window, into the room, soaking carpet. But neither Hiei nor I made any move to close it. The room was cooling rapidly, but I stayed completely warm next to Hiei's body. One of my hands was clutching the cloth at the front of his cloak, my fingers twitching tighter with every boom of thunder. But Hiei acted like he didn't even notice, much less care.

I wasn't sure whether I was glad when the rain slowed to a stop and the thunder crashes became quieter or not.

I wasn't sure how long Hiei and I stayed like that, until I felt the sudden need to get up. I swiftly stood up, and Hiei made no comment. I walked to the window, dismayed that my feet squished and squelched on the completely wet carpet. I'd had to clean it up before it grew mold on the underside.

I went searching for towels to soak up the water, and by the time I got back to the room, Hiei was gone.

* * *

So...I am sorry that I put the dying Jenie into the storyline...I guess that kind of topic is really overused, huh? But I like it. It's dramatic and emotional.

Warning: Jenie is going to ponder death a lot in the coming chapters. She's going to be depressing, and you might consider it annoying. Please, bear with me.


	11. Chapter 11

I felt like I was in a daze for the next couple of days. My heart was fluttering almost constantly, giving me that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling. I couldn't get my mind off Hiei. Sometimes my feelings flickered from intense embarrassment to excitement. I wondered when he was going to come back. I couldn't wait, yet I didn't want to see him at the same time. What to do, what to do…

Kurama, as intelligent as he was, of course noticed that something was different with me. I could tell by the way he smiled at me when he caught me daydreaming. I wished to ask him what he was thinking, but I was afraid that I didn't want to know. I didn't need someone else to tell me I was in love. I refused to believe it! Especially if I was going to die soon, anyway!

The next time anything of significance happened, weeks after the thunderstorm, I was leaning over a toilet, vomiting from the pain wracking my brain. I had long since thrown up anything left in my stomach, and now only stomach bile was coming out. I knew my stomach was aching from hunger, but I couldn't even feel it over the agony in my head.

"Jenie?"

Kurama's mother knocked on the door to the bathroom, waiting patiently until I called her to come in. She gently opened the door, smiling modestly at me.

"The doctor's here. Should I send her in?"

I couldn't even go to the hospital anymore. I was too weak to do very much anymore. I even refused most of the visitors that came from school, like classmates and teachers. Even Kuwabara, Keiko, and Yusuke. There was no way I was going to let them see me in this pathetic state.

I'd lost twenty pounds, and I had been slightly underweight to begin with. My skin had lost its rosy pale glow, and now was a sickening ash-grey. My blonde hair was dull and frizzy. I must look awful, but I wasn't even able to raise myself to my feet enough to look in the mirror above the sink. Not that I really wanted to. My appearance made me glad that Hiei hadn't come to visit again. I couldn't bear it if he saw me like this.

The doctor came into the bathroom, and helped me to my feet. She practically dragged me back to my room so I could lie on the bed while she checked up on me.

I felt her fingers pressing on my wrist to monitor my pulse, then examine my eyes, throat, ears. The next was my favorite part. I absolutely hated needles, but the powerful painkiller she injected into me soothed the pain and sent me into a state of drugged bliss for several hours. And then the pain would come back, and I'd spend the rest of the time until the doctor came back the next day puking my guts out. So that was that my daily routine had become.

The doctor left shortly, after trying to convince me once again to go into hospice care. I did feel sorry for burdening Kurama and his mother, but I really didn't want a stranger taking care of me until my final days. Since I was dying, I decided I deserved to be a little selfish.

The doctor came back, and opened the window to let the fresh air in. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing across my face. My nose crinkled up as I smelled something that really shouldn't belong there.

The scent of rotting corpses and human blood.

My eyes shot open at the sound of ripping clothes. Uh-oh. It suddenly looked like my doctor wasn't really a doctor. Now, he-she-it looked like a cross between Bigfoot, the Swamp Thing, and a puddle of mud. I already knew it was useless to scream. I didn't have enough strength to do so. Within seconds, the demon's disgusting arms wrapped around my waist, yanking me to my feet and throwing me over its shoulder. My face was buried in the strange, slimy flesh of its lower back, and the stench quickly forced me into unconsciousness.

**************

I woke up what felt like an eternity later, but probably was only a few hours. My head felt like there was a writhing snake inside it that had sharp spikes instead of scales, and was steadily growing to a size where it would burst my skull apart. I clenched my teeth together to stop myself from crying out.

It was dark wherever I was, cold, and I think I heard water dripping somewhere. At least I hoped it was water. Despite what many people think, death did have a smell, and it was all over this place. I was kind of glad I couldn't see anything around me. What I was imagining was bad enough already.

"Hello?" I called out curiously. Nothing answered back. I didn't know whether I was relieved or not. I didn't want to be alone, but compared to some things that could be lurking in the darkness, maybe solitude was better.

_Hiei_, I called mentally, hoping he would suddenly appear out of nowhere like he had so often before. But no angry little fire demon appeared out of the nothingness this time. I was completely alone. Now what was my fake doctor going to do with me? What did she/it even want with a nearly dead girl like me?

"Are you awake?" Someone called to me in the darkness. I froze. But the owner of the voice didn't sound evil or anything. Innocent, and young.

"Who are you?" I answered, trying to sit up. A small hand touched my wrist, and I nearly screamed.

"I don't know." The voice said simply, now right next to my ear. I think it was male, but I couldn't be sure. It was far too high-pitched. "All I know is I've been here since I was born."

I felt a twinge in my heart, out of sympathy for this child. I reached out to touch him, resting my hand on his head. Something was poking out of his head. Something…Wait a minute…

I jerked back. "You're a demon!" I gasped.

"Am I?" He asked. I felt his hands touching the horns on his head, then feeling my head, realizing I had none. "I'm…different? From you?"

"Yes," I replied quietly, my heart still pounding in my chest. "Yes. I'm human. You're not."

"Am I…bad?" He asked. I bit my bottom lip. I honestly didn't know how to answer that.

"My name is Jenie," I said, and as much as I hated to admit it, I was beginning to like this boy. I'd always been fond of kids.

"Jenie…" He repeated slowly. "Do I have a name?"

"I don't know," I said, frowning. This boy, whoever he was, had lived down here in this darkness for years. What was his story?

But, escape was more important right now. "Is there a way out of here?"

"There is…" He said, and for a moment, my hopes soared. "But I don't know where it is."

"Do you think you could help me find it?" I asked, about to give up hope.

"Can't you see in the dark?" He asked curiously.

"No." I said in surprise. "Can you?"

"Of course!" He said cheerily. "It's so fun to explore down here! I don't think I could ever finish discovering new places!"

And yet he still didn't know of any exit from this place? Just how long had he been down here?

"Can I give you a name?" I asked, eager for the companionship.

"Yes!" The boy replied enthusiastically. I smiled in the dark, thinking.

"How about Niche? Or Eyebright? Eyebright's pretty. It's an herb."

"Eyebright!" He replied happily. He continued to murmur the name to himself, enjoying the sound of it.

"Eyebright it is," I said, reaching out to fondly ruffle his hair. The newly named Eyebright began to purr quietly, and I laughed. That laugh turned quickly into a cough, and I realized how long it had been since I'd last had a drink of water.

"Eyebright," I whispered hoarsely, causing him to stop purring. "Do you know where any water is?"

"Yes!" Eyebright said loudly. In the place wherever we were, his voice echoed. "There's a pool right over there! Come on, I'll take you!"

He wrapped his small hand around my wrist, attempting to pull me up. I tried my hardest to get to my feet, but I was still too weak. And the pain in my head that had been dormant ever since I had met Eyebright suddenly made an agonizing reappearance. I pressed my hand to my head, and sank back down to the stony ground.

"Can you not get up?" Eyebright asked in worry. I shook my head.

"No, I'm sorry…I'm really sick."

"I'll go get water for you!" He cried, and I heard the sound of his footsteps slapping against the stone. Then a splashing of water, more padding footsteps, and suddenly Eyebright was pushing his cupped hands against my lips.

"Drink, drink!" He chanted, tipping his hands up so the water flowed into my open mouth. It soothed my throat, giving me more strength.

"Thank you," I said, wiping off droplets from my lips. "Now, we need to get out of here."

"Why?" Eyebright sounded confused.

I wasn't sure how to explain to him that this was a prison, and we needed to escape. That the person who had probably raised him was dangerous.

"Eyebright…" I began. "Who was it that brought you here?"

"You mean Miss Nanaka?" He asked. "She didn't bring me here. I was born here."

Did that mean his mother had been a captive here, while she had been pregnant with him? How awful it must be to have grown up here…I felt around in the dark for Eyebright, finding his shoulder. I pulled him into a hug, feeling tears welling up in my eyes in sympathy. Eyebright had obviously never been hugged before, because he didn't know how to react.

I finally let him go, but I kept a hand on his arm. "What's is Nanaka's goal? What does she want from me? From you?"

"What every demon wants. Power."

* * *

I'm really fond of Eyebright. It might be fun to do a spin-off story with him as a main character...


	12. Chapter 12

Power? What did that have to do with me? What power could I offer? I was a weak, dying human. Nothing more.

I didn't ask Eyebright to elaborate. I felt a tear run down my cheek, and then Eyebright's finger brushed it away.

"You're sad," he said, in surprise and confusion.

I sighed. "There's someone I care very much for, and I wish I could see him one last time. But I don't think that's going to happen."

"Why not?"

Besides the fact that Nanaka would probably kill me during her quest of power or whatever, I was dying anyway. And it felt like I didn't have much time. I would…never see Hiei again. The thought made me inexplicably depressed. I thought I would have had time to say goodbye, but…

Eyebright was still young, and had a future. I needed to help him get out of here at least.

"Can you try and find a way out of here?" I asked him quietly.

"Sure," He said, not asking why. "But don't you need to rest first?"

I hadn't been awake for more than an hour or two. And I didn't know how long I'd unconscious down here, either. Did Hiei know I was missing?

"Perhaps you're right," I sighed sadly. I settled down onto the stone floor, which suddenly seemed a lot more comfortable now that I realized how tired I was. Before…I knew it…I was…drifting off…

**************

I could already tell this was going to be a great dream. Why, you ask? Because Hiei seemed to be the main star.

He was leaning against the branch of a tree, fast asleep as far as I could tell. His head was resting on his hands, which, in turn, were resting against the tree.

His chest was slowly rising and falling in time to his breath, and I instinctively reached out to touch his cheek. But before I could, someone's shouting voice from the base of the tree jolted Hiei awake. I jerked back, afraid Hiei would be upset with me for being there, but I had forgotten I was dreaming, and that he couldn't see me.

"Hiei, Hiei!" Kurama yelled desperately. "Are you up there?"

"Yes," Hiei mumbled, grumpy from being woken up. "What do you want? I'm not deaf, you know. Don't have to shout."

"Get down here, now." Kurama commanded. Something in Kurama's voice made Hiei instantly leap down to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Hiei asked urgently.

"It's Jenie," Kurama started. In the few seconds before he said anything else, Hiei's expression melted from shock, to horror, to anger, to fear. At last, all the color drained from his face, and he clenched his fists so tightly that drops of red blood fell to the ground.

"What's wrong?" He repeated, his voice strained and tense.

"She's gone," Kurama said helplessly. "I felt a surge of demonic energy before she disappeared, so I think she was kidnapped. We have no idea where she is."

"WHAT?!" Hiei bellowed. One of his bloodied hands shot out, grabbing a handful of the front of Kurama's shirt. Kurama's eyes widened slightly as Hiei pulled the redheaded fox demon down so they could be face-to-face. "_Where. Is. She?!_" He snarled.

"I told you, I don't know." Kurama said, as calmly as possible. "I don't know why, either."

"We need to find her," Hiei said quickly, releasing his hold on Kurama's shirt. "Now."

Hiei began to walk off. Kurama sighed. "Whatever you say, but…You know, she's going to die anyway."

Hiei stopped short, looking back at Kurama over his shoulder. "That's what _you_ think." He said softly.

"Jenie, Jenie."

Someone was saying my name. I gradually was brought back into wakefulness, although I didn't want to leave the dream I was having. Even if it hadn't necessarily turned out to be a happy dream, Hiei was still there, and that made it alright.

It was pitch black, and for a moment, I thought that I somehow couldn't open my eyes. A second later I realized this wasn't the case as I remembered where I was.

"Eyebright?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes!" The demon child replied, giving my shoulder a comforting shake. "You were having a nightmare."

I sighed softly. "No, I don't think I was. It was just…Different, that's all." Eyebright whimpered, although I didn't know whether he was feeling sympathy for me, or understanding.

"Look, look!" Eyebright said cheerfully, suddenly tugging on my arm. "I found a way out!"

"_You did_?" I gasped, my mood suddenly taking a definite upturn.

"But there's a problem." Eyebright said uneasily, clearly not wanting to spoil my good mood.

"What?" I replied, my heart sinking. I heard Eyebright shifting, but I couldn't see what he was doing. After a moment, he remembered that.

"It's up." He said shortly. "It's up on the roof. Can you fly?"

"Of course not," I said, trying not to sound too snappy. Great. So we'd finally found a way to escape, but we couldn't get out of it anyway. While I was lost in my thoughts, Eyebright was mumbling to himself. Finally, one phrase caught my attention.

"-can't carry two…" he was saying. I looked up in his general direction sharply.

"What are you talking about?" I asked quietly, determined not to get my hopes up. But Eyebright _had_ surprised me before.

"I can fly," he said casually, as if he was doing nothing more than comment on the weather. "But I don't know if I'm strong enough to carry you up there."

I knew it! How else would he have been able to find the escape way in the ceiling?

"Eyebright!" I cried happily, throwing my arms around the small boy. "You're my hero!"

Eyebright didn't reply, but I felt him shift nervously. I think I had embarrassed him. And if demons could blush, I was sure he was doing so right now.

"Here," he said, and I groped in the darkness for the hands he was holding out to me. "I can try and fly you now. I don't…" He paused, sounding slightly scared. He finally continued in a whisper. "I might drop you."

I laughed bitterly. "I'm already dying. The when doesn't make much difference. Just try and get really high before you drop me, okay?"

"I won't purposely drop you!" Eyebright gasped in horror. I gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"I know," I replied. "I have faith in you." I winked at him. "So no pressure."

* * *

So, I am going on vacation for two weeks (I'm staying with my grandmother, and she doesn't have internet. *gasp* the horror!) and the very weekend I get back from that, I am leaving again to go to college. So, I don't know when I'll be able to update again...My apologies...

I'm also sorry that Hiei, Kurama, Yukina, blah blah blah and all of them haven't appeared much for the last couple of chapters. I'm trying to make Eyebright as likable as possible, to make up for it...I don't know if it's working, though.


	13. Chapter 13

Eyebright still looked hesitant, but I did have complete confidence in him. He was far shorter than me, so I had to sit down so he could get a good grip on me. He brought his arms around under my armpits, clasping his hands together right below my neck. Even though I was taller than him, I had wasted away so much that I doubted I weighed a lot.

I felt wind spring up and swirl around me, and at the same time I heard the sound of the beating of a pair of massive wings. After a moment, I felt myself being lifted off the ground, slowly at first, then so quickly my feet were suddenly dangling. We continued to rise, and I was thankful for the darkness. If I had seen how far up we were, I probably would have died from sheer terror.

Soon, we entered a much more enclosed space. I could feel the breeze Eyebright's wings kicked up blowing around us more, as if it didn't have any place to escape to. I could hear the tips of Eyebright's wings lightly hitting the sides of a rock wall, and small pieces of stone crumbling off and falling because of it. Above me, I could hear Eyebright's breath quicken in exertion.

At last, he stopped beating his wings, instead holding them out to glide downwards.

"Watch out!" He called in warning. Moments later, the tips of my feet scraped against a solid surface, and I stretched out as far as I could to press both my feet on the ground. As soon as I was able to stand solidly, Eyebright let go, dropping to the ground in exhaustion. I made of a noise of concern and hurried to where I heard his labored breathing coming from.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly.

"Y…es…" Eyebright panted. I heard him slid down to lay on the floor. "Sleep…is good…"

Although I didn't want to stay here too long because there was a chance someone would find us, Eyebright did need the rest. I placed one hand on his forehead in a maternal sort of way. I think the touch of my sickly cold skin helped sooth him. In seconds he was breathing quietly in slumber.

I moved around him so I could pull his head into my lap, to make it more comfortable for him. He didn't have wings now, which didn't make sense to me. But I suppose the world of demons would forever continue to surprise me.

**************

I stayed alert while Eyebright slept, wary of every sound I heard. Being in the dark was maddening. Every creak or rustle I heard turned into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster in my imagination. But no one discovered us. Finally, Eyebright shifted in my lap, sitting up groggily.

"Jenie?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Here," I called quietly. Eyebright grabbed my wrist, and I was surprised to find the tension in his touch.

"I thought you were gone," he whispered his voice strained. It was obvious that he was scared of being left alone now that he had ventured beyond the cavern he had grown up in for the first time in his life.

"Silly," I said gently. "I'm not going to leave you." I looked around cautiously, my ears tensed for any unusual sound. "But we should get out of here. Who knows when someone is going to come?"

"You don't have to worry about that for long," Said a voice, one that belonged to neither Eyebright or I. I opened my mouth to scream, only to have someone smack the palm of their hand against my mouth, stopping any sound from coming out. I froze in horror. But wait…There was something familiar about that touch.

"Are you alright now?" He asked grumpily, obviously upset that I had been about to scream at him.

"You surprised me!" I snapped defensively. "How did you even get here, Hiei?"

Hiei paused for a moment. "I'll explain later. Who's that?"

I was sure he meant Eyebright. Which also meant that Hiei could see in the dark as well.

"Oh," I said cheerfully, reaching around until my hands found Eyebright's shoulder. I pulled him forward, by me. "This is Eyebright. He was helping me escape. We're friends."

Hiei didn't say anything for a moment, although I had a feeling he was appraising Eyebright suspiciously. Eyebright must have passed the test, because Hiei 'hmphed' and said, "Alright. Let's go. Kurama, Yusuke, and our resident idiot are waiting by the entrance." By 'resident idiot,' I assumed he meant Kuwabara. Hiei's hand found mine, and he intertwined his fingers within mine. I blushed, hoping that he wouldn't notice in the pitch blackness. I beckoned to Eyebright, but he didn't follow me. I frowned, wondering what was wrong.

"They're dead," Eyebright whispered, his voice afraid.

"What?" I asked in confusion, but Hiei didn't say anything. And somehow, his silence felt like a confirmation of Eyebright's statement.

"Everyone in the hideout!" Eyebright cried. "You've killed them all!"

"Not all of them." Said a sly, female voice from behind us. I whipped around at the same instant that the stone hall we were in was lit by brightly glowing chandeliers on the ceiling far above. In the light, I could see the speaker; the demon who had posed as my doctor, Nanaka.

Instantly, Hiei moved in front of Eyebright and I as if to protect us with his own body. I felt a sparkle of fear in my chest. I didn't know what Nanaka was capable of, but I worried for Hiei's safety.

Nanaka wasn't exactly what you'd call a demonic beauty queen (or maybe she was; I don't know what the standards for beauty were to demons), and when her face split into a grin, I felt an involuntary shiver of fear travel down my spine. She was clearly amused at Hiei's action. The stench that was wafting from her slimy, mud-like body was nearly forcing me to pass out again. I breathed through my mouth, although that just seemed to have made it worse. I now felt like I could taste the awful carnage scent.

Eyebright grabbed the back of the nightgown I was wearing, and I could feel him trembling, although I didn't know if it was in fear or something else. Could it be he liked Nanaka? I mean, she had been probably one of the only people he'd known since birth. That was bound to make an impression. But, she had also imprisoned him and his mother, and his mother had died because of it. I wished I could ask him. But something told me now was not the time.

"What do you want with Jenie?" Hiei asked quietly, but his words held a hidden threat depending on Nanaka's answer.

"It's none of your business," Nanaka replied smoothly. "All you need to know is I will drain her blood and devour her heart, with or without your interference."

"Not a chance," Hiei snarled, leaping through the air at Nanaka. I couldn't hold back a gasp of worry as Hiei unsheathed his sword in midair, and sliced at Nanaka. He missed, as Nanaka only needed to step back to avoid the blade.

I didn't know how Nanaka would fight, as the big ball of smile she was didn't seem too dangerous.

The next slash through the air didn't miss. Black ooze gushed from the cut in Nanaka's torso, but it didn't seem to bother her too much. She only glanced down at it before turning her attention back on Hiei.

Hiei didn't seem daunted by the lack of worry Nanaka was showing at her injury. Instead, he looked far more determined. I felt a flickering of panic in my chest. If anything happened to him…

Eyebright was horribly silent this whole time. Finally, as Nanaka feinted to the right, successfully tricking Hiei. That's when Eyebright screamed.

"LEFT!" He yelled. "TO THE LEFT!"

Hiei heard, and followed his cry. In mid-movement, he spun to the left, sparing him from Nanaka's attack. His sword slashed down, severing Nanaka's right arm.

Nanaka shrieked, an awful, inhuman sound. I whimpered and covered my ears, but it wasn't enough to block out her words that were directed at Eyebright.

"_HOW DARE YOU_!" She screamed. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Before I was aware of what I was doing, I moved in front of Eyebright to protect him. Nanaka hissed angrily, a long stream of words I didn't understand. Hiei's head jerked back towards Eyebright and I.

"No!" He yelled. "Jenie, move…!"

I didn't have time to heed his warning. I felt a small, strong hand wrap itself around my neck, yanking me to the floor. I choked.

"Eye…bright?" I gasped, trying to look over my shoulder at my attacker. It _was_ Eyebright! He had one of his arms around the front of my shoulder, to prevent me from escaping. His other arm was slowly - but surely - strangling me, with a coldness I hadn't thought Eyebright was capable of possessing. His eyes were blank and glazed over.

"What…have you done…?" I asked Nanaka with difficulty, expending most of my remaining air supply. Nanaka smiled triumphantly.

"I _own_ him, you filthy human," she taunted. In her success, she seemed to have forgotten about her grievous injury. "I can make him do whatever I want." She turned her attention back to Hiei, who looked livid. "That means that in order to save your precious girl, you have to kill him. He won't let her go otherwise."

"No!" I cried as loudly as possible. There was no way, _no way_ I was going to let Eyebright be hurt because of me. Hiei clenched his teeth together.

"You scum," he snarled at Nanaka. "Even for a demon, you've sunk horrifically low."

Nanaka sneered. "I'm only doing what I need to survive. And, speaking of survival, your girlfriend doesn't look like she's doing too well."

She couldn't be more right. It was becoming a struggle just to stay conscious. I didn't want to hurt Eyebright, but I was about to let him kill me, either!

I brought my hands up to Eyebright's arm that encircled my shoulders. Futilely, I attempted to pull him off of me. Thinking for a minute, I tried another plan. I threw my head back with all the force I could, smashing into Eyebright's face. His grip on my loosened just enough for me to scramble to my feet, and towards Hiei.

Hiei flicked his sword to the side, using his left arm to yank me out of harm's way. He shoved me behind him into a corner, facing Nanaka and Eyebright (whose face was now bloody from his bleeding nose).

"Weaker sex, my ass," Hiei whispered appreciatively to me. I hid a smile.

He turned his attention back to the two demons that faced us.

"Bring it on."

* * *

I'm so sorry that took so long...I've been so busy...Not to mention I've gotten a case of writer's block...So I can't say for sure when the next chapter will come out, either.

My apologies!


	14. Chapter 14

The battle was intense! I had never seen anyone move like Nanaka, Eyebright and Hiei did, and Nanaka was still pouring blood all over the floor from her severed arm.

As impressed as I was by Hiei, my heart was breaking at the sight of the brainwashed Eyebright attacking him. I wanted Hiei to win, of course, but wouldn't that mean Eyebright's death? The very thought made me want to throw myself in the midst of the fight and scream at everyone to stop. Not that that would probably help. The only reward I'd end up receiving for my effort would be getting my head ripped off by either Eyebright or Nanaka.

But I couldn't sit here and do nothing…!

"Eyebright!" I shrieked fruitlessly, my voice echoing through the hall, "Please wake up!"

Eyebright gave no indication that he had heard me. I suppressed a sob of hopelessness, my mind whirling through ideas. None of which were sure to work, might I add. Useless facts raced through my head…

Pi was 3.14, shortened, and it was used in geometry… A blue moon was when a full moon occurred twice in one month, while a blood moon was when a new moon was twice in one month… There were seven non-repeating notes in one musical octave… The Chinese practice of foot binding had been banned around the turn of the 19th century…… Paula Abdul was leaving the next season of American Idol… The sense of smell is the strongest link to memory…

That's it! Scent! Demons had a great sense of smell; maybe if I got Eyebright to smell something special, it would bring him back to himself! But…what?

There! I must be being visited by an angel of brilliance! Me! I could use my scent! I mean, I was Eyebright's best friend, wasn't I? If my scent couldn't bring him back, I didn't know what could.

I shot to my feet, eyeing the battle closely to look for an opening. But there wasn't one. The three were fighting so fiercely that I could barely keep track of the movements anymore. If I didn't hurry, I wasn't going to make it time to make sure neither Hiei nor Eyebright were hurt…!

I closed my eyes in concentration as another excellent thought struck me. I didn't know how mental telepathy stuff worked, but this was my best shot.

_Hiei?_ I thought as hard as I could. I only had to wait a few moments.

_What do you want?_ Hiei's testy voice snapped back in my head. _In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy at the moment._

_Sorry!_ I replied, trying not to get my thoughts garbled. _I need your help. I want to wake Eyebright up, but I need him to be away from you and Nanaka. Do you think you could help me out…? _I was well aware how much I was asking.

_Selfish, aren't you?_ _Whatever you're planning better be worth the trouble! _Hiei grumbled back, but it didn't seem like he was chastising me. If I didn't know better, I would suspect he thought that whatever I was planning might be worthwhile…

I waited for my opportunity, and I saw Hiei's movements change slightly. He was ignoring Eyebright, concentrating his attacks on Nanaka. Eyebright didn't seem to notice, and if Nanaka noticed, she certainly didn't care. Perfect.

The next thing happened almost before I was ready. Hiei kicked Eyebright roughly in the chest, sending the young demon flying across the hall. I dashed after him, with a speed I didn't know I'd had the strength to use. I fell to my knees before Eyebright, just as he was attempting to get up. I flung my arms around his neck, making sure his bloodied nose was buried in my hair (come to think of it, I _really_ hoped me breaking his nose hadn't impaired his sense of smell).

"Eyebright, wake up…" I begged quietly, hugging him with enough force that he could barely struggle. "Come on, I believe in you…"

Eyebright didn't move for several seconds. I felt his arms move slowly, but I didn't let go. I closed my eyes tightly in case he was planning on killing me…

His smalls hands grasped my short blonde hair tightly, and I automatically flinched. But he didn't yank at it, to pull me away. Instead, he raised his head slightly, and pressed the locks of my hair to his nose. He inhaled deeply.

I leaned back cautiously to see his face. His eyes were clearing, and he was staring at me with a confused expression.

"Jenie…?" He asked softly. I squealed in delight and threw myself onto him, causing the both of us to fall back onto the ground. Happiness, like a giant balloon, was swelling in my chest.

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!_" Nanaka shrieked at us, causing both of us to flinch. "_I OWN YOU!_"

I felt something like a breeze of wind rush past me to hit Eyebright. He winced, then shoved me roughly away.

"Go!" He gasped, his voice wavering between the gentle Eyebright I knew, and the cold murderer Nanaka could transform him into. "Get away!"

I didn't obey. I couldn't. I felt frozen to the spot, horror overwhelming me at the thought of Eyebright being controlled again. But this time, he was fighting it…

Suddenly getting the feeling back in my legs, I scrambled back, away from Eyebright. "Fight it!" I screamed at him. "Fight it, Eyebright! For me!"

Nanaka's power was stifling. Even to me, and I was a human with very little spiritual aptitude. It was like being in a sauna with a temperature almost past endurance. The heat, the lack of moisture, everything. It was awful.

But none of that mattered. My whole attention was on Eyebright, and the battle raging inside of him. I wanted to help, but I didn't know what I could do.

Eyebright's form was flickering now. He had wings one instant; huge, black things that clashed with his white hair, and the next second, they were gone. Strange tattoos were flashing on his body, every pattern different from the next. His eyes were red, green, icy blue, then the darkest black. Every change in his form seemed to physically pain him.

Nanaka was yowling again, her words hardly even distinguishable. I was surprised she could still yell and keep up with Hiei's relentless attacks at the same time. Clearly, she was not one to be underestimated.

"_Do you forget who raised you?_" She screamed at Eyebright. "_Do you forget what you owe me, Renzoku_?!"

Ren…zoku? Was that a name? Was that _Eyebright's _name?! I gasped, turning my attention back to Eyebright in horror. I didn't know what the effect of his real name had on him.

Eyebright had frozen, his wings spread out behind him. He was staring at Nanaka, pure despair etched all over his face. His hands were clasped to either side of his ears (long, pointy, elf-like ones) like he was trying to block out Nanaka's words. Shimmering tears were slowly tracing their way down his cheeks.

I wanted to reach out to him, hold him, _something_, but I found myself as immobile as him out of shock. Even the sounds of Hiei and Nanaka's continued battle seemed muted.

And then, all at once, our moments of petrifaction broke. Eyebright's eyes snapped shut, and he began to howl. An awful, heart-wrenching sound. I couldn't make out what he was saying. I didn't even think it was in any language I had ever heard.

Finally, Nanaka and Hiei stopped fighting. Hiei looked much worse now, small lacerations all over his body. He was staring at Eyebright in horror. Nanaka's expression of triumph almost seemed to be mocking the terror I felt. It was like the world was ending. Nothing else mattered right now but Eyebright.

But whatever was happening, I don't think it was what Nanaka wanted to happen. Her smile slipped slowly off her face as Eyebright continued to wail without taking a breath. Something was wrong.

Eyebright raised his head to look at the three of us, and where shiny tears had been moments before now trickled small streams of blood. Panic jolted through my body.

"Eyebright," I gasped. Behind me, Hiei tightened his grip on his sword, and Nanaka just gaped at Eyebright.

"Ego mos non exsisto vestri mancipium. Ego sum solvo , quod vos mos pereo.." Eyebright said softly, in Nanaka's direction. These words meant nothing to me, but both Hiei and Nanaka seemed to understand them. Hiei looked surprised, and Nanaka look horrorstruck. I felt a glimmer of victory amid all my fear. Nanaka was afraid of Eyebright! This was great!

Eyebright slowly rose to his feet and began to walk straight towards Nanaka, not even noticing me sitting in his path. I didn't move (I wasn't sure if my legs even remembered how to anymore) but Eyebright kept walking. He was almost on top of me when Hiei flashed down and swiftly dragged me to the side.

"I don't think it's a good idea to get in his way at the moment," He murmured in my ear.

It soon became apparent that being in his path was a _very_ bad idea. Nanaka stood still when Eyebright drew close, staring at him. Eyebright raised his hand and set it gently on Nanaka's chest, just below her ribcage (assuming demons like her had ribcages). They were both still for a moment. Then, Eyebright's hand began to smoke.

Nanaka opened her mouth in a silent scream as she was rapidly incinerated from the point where Eyebright's hand was settled. In mere seconds, she was nothing but a pile of ashes on the floor.

Eyebright dropped his hand back to his side and stared at the ashes. I hesitated, not knowing if he would kill me too if I approached him. A second later, I didn't care.

Eyebright's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. I untangled myself from Hiei and dashed to his side. He was cold and clammy, but smiled at me as I pulled his head onto my lap.

"I did it." He said happily, his voice hoarse and scratchy as though he had just spent half an hour gurgling burning coals.

I returned his smile, tears prickling the edges of my vision.

"Yes, you did."


	15. Chapter 15

Hello and welcome to the last exciting chapter of Save Me! I hope you enjoyed it. I know it wasn't as romantic as I intended when I first started writing it, but I still like how it turned out. Anyways...

* * *

There's a song that's inside of my soul  
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again  
I'm awake in the infinite cold  
But you sing to be over and over and over again

So I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours, I pray  
To be only yours I know now...  
You're my only hope

Sing to me the song of the stars  
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again  
When it feels like my dreams are so far  
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again

So I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours, I pray  
To be only yours I know now...  
You're my only hope

I give you my destiny  
I'm giving you all of me  
I want your symphony singing in all that I am  
At the top of lungs  
I'm giving it all

So I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours, I pray  
To be only yours, I pray  
To be only yours I know now...  
You're my only hope

I closed my eyes as I sang the last word, listening to the piano accompaniment as the final notes rang through the air. I slowly opened my eyes again, my gaze sweeping over the vast crowd that had gathered in the park for the competition.

Although I had been sick when the competition had rolled around the first time, 'mysterious circumstances promoted the judges to have a change of heart and reschedule,' or so the newspapers had said. I had a very good idea that what they mistook for 'mysterious circumstances' actually happened to be a certain three-eyed demon with crazy mental prowess…

Still, I didn't mind. I had managed to enter at the last minute, spending all my free time until the contest frenziedly practicing my song. After all, I had been excused from school for the rest of the year even though I was cured ("A miracle!" as my new doctor had described it).

I never thought I would have been able to do it. And yet, here I was, having sang it beautifully. And I knew there was a very specific reason. One that happened to be sitting in a metal folding chair in the front row.

I bowed as the audience began to applaud (loudly) and delicately leapt off the stage. Hiei stood up at once and escorted me away as the next contestant took the stage.

"That was amazing," he said quietly as we joined the others sitting under a gazebo a short distance away.

I smiled at him, flushed with excitement. "Do you really think so?"

Hiei flashed me a wicked grin. "First place, for sure. If the judges don't agree, I can always persuade them…"

I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow. "That's not fair."

Hiei snorted. "Demon, remember?"

The others all congratulated me as well, and my cheeks were beginning to ache from all the smiling.

"I had no idea you could sing so well, Jenie!" Ms Minamino said, reaching over to squeeze my shoulder as Yukina gave me a hug.

"None of us did," Hiei drawled. "Because she wouldn't let us hear."

"Be nice," Kurama chastised. I smiled slightly.

"I can't help it. Anyone would be terrified of singing in front of a bunch of evil, bloodthirsty demons with no sense of mercy." I teased.

"Hey!" Yusuke snapped. "I resent that. I do too have mercy! Umm…Sometimes."

Hiei rolled his eyes as everyone else burst out laughing. "Come on," he said quietly to me, taking my hand. "Let's go somewhere a little less inhabited by morons."

Giggling quietly, I allowed Hiei to lead me away from the group. After a few moments, he quickly let go of my hand, seemingly embarrassed that he had grabbed it in the first place. Not that he allowed these emotions to show on his face. But by now I knew him so well that it was easy to guess.

Hiei finally reached the edge of the forest nearby before he slowed his pace. I sauntered up to his side, feeling unusually playful.

"Was it really that good?" I asked, not wanting to remain in silence when I had the option of hearing his voice.

"Yes," Hiei said after a moment's consideration.

I frowned at him. "Somehow I'm not convinced."

Hiei sighed. "I remember, back when I first met you. You could barely talk to me because you were so shy. And now...Now you're not so weak anymore."

I tried to control the blush rising to my cheeks and instead glared at him skeptically. "Being shy isn't a weakness."

Hiei finally turned to face me, a small smile on his lips. "Maybe you're right. Or maybe you're more brain-dead than I thought."

"Hey!" I snapped indignantly. Hiei chuckled quietly. We fell back into silence.

"Look," Hiei said suddenly, pointing into the forest. I squinted to see into the distance.

"Eyebright!" I gasped. The demon boy ran to me, hugging me tightly around my chest. I laughed, bending down.

"I suppose I should call you Renzoku now, though. That's your real name after all."

Eyebright made a face. "I think I like 'Eyebright' better. I don't think my mother gave me the name Renzoku, and I don't want to be called by anything that would remind me of Nanaka."

"Point taken," I said. I ruffled his longish white hair fondly. "So what now?"

He paused, considering. "I'm free. I want to see the world!"

Hiei scoffed. "Pretty big dream for a little kid."

"I'm not a little kid!" Eyebright retorted furiously. I smiled to myself.

"Alright, then." Hiei said, crouching down to be eye-to-eye with Eyebright. "If you're as grown up as you think, then tell me why Nanaka wanted Jenie in the first place."

Eyebright didn't even hesitate. "Don't you know? She's the Gift, of course."

Hiei raised one of his eyebrows. "The Gift?" He repeated.

"It's an old fairytale. The Gift is a human girl whose flesh possesses the ability to grant any demon ultimate power. At least until she falls in love. Then her flesh loses its power. I thought all demons were told that story when they were kids." He sounded very smug because he knew something that Hiei didn't.

Hiei frowned. "I didn't have a normal childhood."

I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Hiei asked, annoyed.

"I seriously doubt I'm this 'Gift.' It's just a story, right? Besides, if it were true, then Nanaka would have gained nothing from devouring me. The power would already have been negated."

Hiei cocked his head to the side in confusion. But Eyebright's eyes widened and he stared back and forth between me and Hiei. He understood.

"I should get going," Eyebright said abruptly, leaping to his feet with the astonished expression still on his face.

"Do you have to?" I said in disappointment. "Well, if you must, then at least promise to visit sometimes!"

Eyebright stuck out his tongue. "No way. I'm not sticking around with all the lovey-dovey stuff you two will be doing." Without further ado, he turned and sprinted back through the trees of the forest.

"Wait!" Hiei called, looking startled. "What do you mean, 'lovey-dovey stuff?' Hey, come back!"

I chuckled quietly. "Sometimes you can be so thick," I scolded. Hiei turned back to me, his crimson eyes widening in comprehension.

"Me?" He said. "You're in love with-"

I reached out to take his hand, effectively interrupting him.

"Don't say you don't feel the same," I said dangerously, almost to the point of a threat. Hiei's expression relaxed, and suddenly he was smiling.

"You know, I don't think I can say I don't." He sighed. I grinned.

"Well then, lover boy, don't make me wait."

Hiei looked confused again. "Wait for what?"

I sighed as I leaned in, closing the distance between our lips. "You'll see."

**THE END**

* * *

So the song at the beginning is Only Hope by Mandy Moore.

Jenie really became brazen here in this last chapter...Oops.


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